Harry Potter and the Dark Lord of the Sith
by jedi-from-mordor
Summary: A flying accident results in Harry, Ron, and Hermione being teleported to a galaxy far, far away...
1. Introduction

OK... my first story on ff.n

I've started posting this on TFN forums back in January, so it's quite far advanced back there. (No, it isn't finished, and by the time it will be, I'll catch up posting here.) I just decided to make it available for a larger audience.

Well... what do you think, from the title? It's a crossover between Star Wars and Harry Potter. More specifically, the story brings Harry Potter characters (the trio) into the galaxy far, far away at the time of the original trilogy. Naturally, they run into all our favorite SW characters and get caught up in the war against the Empire...

This is not (like some crossovers) written for the purpose of denigrating one franchise over another. I love both SW and HP (they are actually quite similar, from a certain point of view), and while I enjoy SW more, I have no reason to diminish HP.

The HP universe is simple. Six books, and a seventh one on the way. SW is much more complex, and there is an active debate among the fans as to what constitutes "real SW". In the simplified version, the debate is between _purists_ who believe only the SW films (and for some, only the original three movies, but not the prequels) are "real", and _completists, _who think all officially released SW material (books, comics, video games) is SW. It's a spectrum, not a dichotomy; however, I personally lean on the completist side. You do not need to have read any of the Expanded Universe of SW to get the story, but there will be EU references, and EU characters (one of whom plays a crucial role).

As I said already, I have begun writing this story in January, before either _Revenge of the Sith_ or _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_ came out. As the movie is set in the OT era, ROTS did not cause story continuity problems. HBP, however, did. I rewrote parts of it to fit in, but decided to leave others standing because they worked too well. **Chapter 1 is such a part, so make sure you read this**.

The story is set in an HP alternate universe, which differs from the canon universe in the ending of HBP. The differences are:

Dumbledore still dies, but either it isn't Snape that kills him, or Harry doesn't witness it and can't prove it. Snape vouches that Malfoy was acting under the Imperius Curse, allowing him to stay at Hogwarts. Snape is still a teacher. McGonagall is the new headmistress. In his seventh year, Harry is dating Ginny, and Neville is dating Luna.

Snape returns to Voldemort (or seems to), but it happens after the trio's crossover.

Almost all of the story will be set in the SW universe, this will rarely come into play.

Yeah, yeah. I'm not George Lucas, I am not J.K. Rowling, and I am not their son and heir to both franchises. I own nothing, except the plot...

And now... the story begins. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's seventh year at Hogwarts, Christmas Day...


	2. Chapter 1

**HARRY POTTER AND THE DARK LORD OF THE SITH**

**Chapter 1. **

"You want to do _what_?"

"Come on, Harry. I haven't been on a broomstick since that flying lesson we had in our first year. I want to see what's it's like. I'm not seeking to replace you two on the Quidditch team."

"That's not what I was thinking," said Harry. And it wasn't. Somehow, he felt this wasn't going to turn out well. He didn't know what that meant. _Perhaps_, he mused, _I'm just afraid Hermione will break my Firebolt._ That was unfair. He has put his broomstick through much greater scrapes than anything Hermione was likely to try. "Why not," he said. "We don't have much else to do." Ron and Harry got their broomsticks, and the three left for the Quidditch field.

On the way there, they were interrupted twice. On the second floor, they bumped into Professor Snape, who looked even more sour than usual. The bottom of his robes was wet and muddy. He was clearly in a bad mood, and was going to berate anyone he could.

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Weasley. Miss Granger. What could you be doing here on Christmas day?"

"We're just going to practice flying on the Quidditch field, Professor," said Ron, trying to put the anger out of his voice so Snape wouldn't notice and give him detention for being disrespectful.

"I see," quietly said Snape. "In the corridors, broomsticks are to be carried on the shoulder, not swing around like clubs, Mr. Weasley. Five points from Gryffindor." With that, Snape marched off. No one dared to look to see where he went.

In the courtyard, they were interrupted a second time. Neville Longbottom was walking back to the castle, but as soon as he saw them, he ran up to them.

"Hi, Neville," said Harry.

Neville opened his mouth, but no voice came out. He moved his hand as if he was swinging a wand, pointed to himself, shook his head in a negative gesture, and finally opened his mouth a few times. He had to do this several times until Ron exclaimed:

"I got it! Someone made Neville mute by magic!"

"Someone," said Harry. "Three guesses who."

"Oh, Neville," said Hermione. She got out her wand and said "_Sonorus!_" Neville breathed an enormous sigh of relief.

"Thanks," he said. "Malfoy said that he was doing me a favor, since I'd sound more intelligent this way. I tried to fight him, but his spell got there first. Can I come with you? I'm afraid to go in there alone. What if I run into Malfoy again?"

"Sure, no problem," said Ron. "Hermione was going to try flying."

"_Hermione_?" Neville was stunned.

"Yeah, I am," she said. "I just want to know how it feels. It could also be useful."

"Yeah," Neville muttered. "I was just…surprised." Like Hermione, Neville flew on a broomstick once in his life. He paid for that experience with a broken wrist.

"Well, come on," said Harry. The four arrived on the empty Quidditch field. Neville immediately sat down on the stands.

"I better try to fly alone at first," said Hermione. "That way, if I fall, you might try to do something about it. Levitate me, or something. Here goes!" With that, she got on the Firebolt and prepared to kick off.

"I have a bad feeling about this," whispered Ron, making sure Harry heard him, but Hermione didn't.

Harry said nothing.

XXXXXXXX

Hermione kicked, and the Firebolt launched into the air like a missile. She made a small circle around the boys, and then leaned forward and speeded off towards the end of the field. Harry gasped. _Is she in control?_ he thought. But she was. Making a tight turn around the goalposts, she leaned back and began flying up.

"Look at that," said Ron. "Is she not afraid at all? She must be four hundred feet in the air by now."

"I've rarely flown that high during Quidditch," said Harry, and looked behind him. Neville was white-faced.

"Hermione!" yelled Ron. "Come back!"

"She can't hear you from up there."

But she did. Hermione leaned forward on the Firebolt to go down.

And vanished.

"Hermione!" screamed Neville. "What happened?"

"I don't know," said Harry. "She is simply... gone."

"Could she have ap…" Ron caught himself. "Right. You _can't_ apparate out of Hogwarts; she has been drilling that into us for six years. But then, where IS she?"

"I believe I'm the only student here who has an invisibility cloak," said Harry. "And mine is right here with me, so we know it's not that. Anyway, we would see her put it on. She wouldn't vanish completely at once."

"Could this be You-Know-Who trying something?" Neville said, trembling as he spoke.

"Voldemort? But if it is… Ron, give me your broomstick," said Harry.

"What?" Ron blinked. "Why?"

"I'm going after her."

"Where?"

"Where we last saw her." Harry pointed up. "Perhaps it was some sort of portal up there, and I can go through."

"Hey, I'm coming with you."

Harry looked at Ron's Cleansweep Seven. "Will your broom hold two people?"

"I think so. It's not as good as the Firebolt, but we're not going far…at least not by broomstick."

"I'm coming too!" Neville sounded desperate.

"Sorry, Neville," said Harry. "Three people are definitely too much for this broom to handle."

"But Malfoy…"

"Take away his wand. _Expelliarmus_, remember," advised Ron.

"Oh, and Neville," Harry concluded, "If we aren't back by morning, go straight to McGonagall and tell her what happened."

"Uh… I will. Good luck."

"Thanks, Neville." With that, Harry kicked and took off, with Ron sitting behind him. Harry headed for the spot where Hermione disappeared. Neville looked up. Just like Hermione, they were gone.

"Well, if isn't Mr. Brainless himself," said an all-too-familiar voice behind him.

"Malfoy!" Neville nearly collapsed. _He saw everything,_ he thought.

"Oh, you got your voice back? Well, like I said last time, it's not an improvement. And that problem is fixable." With that, Malfoy reached for his wand.

"_Expelliarmus!_" yelled Neville, whipping out his own wand. Malfoy's wand flew right into Neville's hand. Neville looked at it, not believing what happened.

"_Stupefy!_" said a new voice, and Neville fell.

"Thanks, Crabbe," Malfoy smiled. "The idiot forgot there was more than one of us. Now," he said, taking his wand out of Neville's hand, "let's just leave him here in the snow for the night. That should teach him." The three Slytherins headed back to the castle.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

It was completely dark.

It was also very hot.

Harry was lying on his back, head leaning against a hard wall that felt like metal. His legs were pushing something soft, and something like a body was lying across his stomach on top of him. He was still holding the broomstick in one hand. He let it go. It made no noise when it fell, but it did produce a response.

"Ow!" said Ron. "What was that?"

"Sorry, Ron. Where are we?"

"What are you two doing here?" asked Hermione, getting off Harry.

"We came after you," said Ron. "You just vanished into thin air."

"How long have you been here?" Harry asked, thinking.

"Thirty seconds, no more… unless I was unconscious."

"That's strange. It was at least ten minutes before we went after you."

"Let's take a look around," Ron said. "_Lumos!_"

Ron's wand lighted up. The three were in a room that was roughly cubical, seven feet on each side. On one side, there appeared to be a door, although there was no knob of any sort, just an indentation and a wall of different color. From the opposite wall there extended a gray metal slab, probably meant to be a couch, although there were no pillows or anything else to make it comfortable. It was the most un-magical place one could imagine.

Harry took off his winter cloak and folded it. "Ugh," he said. "Wherever we are, it is _not_ winter here." The rest followed suit. "Wait a second," said Hermione. She took Harry and Ron's cloaks, put them on the couch, and then picked up the two broomsticks (fortunately, neither had broken) and put them next to the cloaks. She then wrapped everything in her own cloak, and got out her wand.

"_Reducio!_" she said, and the package shrunk to about three inches long. Hermione put it in her pocket.

"Now," Ron spoke up, but before he could finish, the lights came on, bright enough to hurt the eyes.

"Something is happening." Ron sounded worried.

"We're in a prison cell." Hermione looked at Harry.

"Quick! Get under my cloak!" he said. They covered themselves with the invisibility cloak, huddled against a wall and made their breathing quiet. They barely did it in time, but they had. _Practice_, Harry smiled. They had lots of that. Then the smile vanished from his face. _Have we been noticed?_ he thought. _Are they coming for us?_

The door opened unlike any magic or Muggle door Harry had ever seen: by retracting into the ceiling. The opening took less than a second. A young woman dressed in white stood in the doorway. Her dark brown hair was made into buns at the sides of her heard. She appeared to be only a few years older than Harry and his friends, but her eyes revealed many troubling experiences. Her face barely moved, and Harry realized she was in shock. The look was similar to the way Mrs. Weasley looked two years ago, when a boggart appeared to her in the form of dead bodies of her children. _Something happened just now,_ Harry thought. _Something bad_.

Behind the woman stood two human-shaped figures in shiny white armor plates, black underclothes, and skull-like helmets. They held short, odd-looking, black guns. That was all Harry had time to notice, since the armored figures shoved the woman into the cell and shut the door. It closed even faster than it opened.

"Let's show ourselves," whispered Hermione. She was very quiet, but the woman heard and stared into the spot where the three young wizards stood.

"Hello," Harry said, taking off the invisibility cloak and folding it. The woman opened her mouth in surprise. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"We're students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," said Hermione. "I'm Hermione Granger, this," she pointed to Ron, "is Ron Weasley, —"

"Hi," said Ron.

"—and this is—"

"Harry Potter," said Harry. The woman nodded, and Harry was pleased that for once, his name was not instantly recognized.

"—and we can't be doing anything here," continued Hermione, "Since we don't know where we are. We simply appeared in this cell. Just minutes ago, in fact."

"You poor kids," said the woman, her voice dripping sadness. "My name is Leia Organa, and I am—" she choked, "—was the princess of the planet Alderaan until the Galactic Empire destroyed it."

"Destroyed a planet?" Harry gasped. "How? When? Why?"

"With this station we're on right now. It's called the Death Star. That's what it's been built for. They did it less than ten minutes ago. I saw it with my own eyes. And as to why, well, first, the Alderaanians' beliefs in freedom, justice, and peace were anathema to the Empire. And second, they told me they wouldn't destroy it if I told them the location of the secret base of the Rebel Alliance."

"The Rebel Alliance?" Harry asked.

"Yes. The Empire is only twenty years old, you know. Before, the galaxy was ruled by the Republic. We want to restore the old freedoms."

"And the Empire destroyed Alderaan because you refused to tell them the location of the base?" Hermione trembled as she asked the question.

"I wish. No, I told them. I lied, however. I gave them a location of the former base, one that has already been deserted. But they couldn't know it at the time, and they destroyed Alderaan anyway. I think they did it just to show they could."

"I understand," said Harry. "Where we come from, we've been fighting a dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, for many years. He killed hundreds personally, including my parents and he had many followers who enjoyed killing as well. This," he pointed to the scar on his forehead, "is from when he tried to kill me when I was a baby. I'm famous because I somehow survived. He's been trying to finish the job ever since. But a whole planet…then again, Voldemort didn't do that because he didn't have the power, not because he felt any compassion."

"What will the Empire do when they find out you lied?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. Kill me, probably." Leia sounded as if she accepted it.

"Not if we have anything to do with it," Harry declared.

"You're kids. What can you do against the Empire?"

"We'll see. Since he gave me this scar, I met Voldemort five times. I'm still here. My friends and I have done a bit of fighting.

"First," said Hermione, "we'll try to get out of here." She got out her wand and pointed at the door. "_Alohomora!_"

Nothing happened.

"What's the matter?" asked Ron, sounding worried.

"I don't know. This door couldn't have been protected by magic. I guess the spell just doesn't work on electronic locks."

"Electronic?" Ron asked, having no idea what she was talking about.

"It means it's controlled by computers. Computers certainly can be influenced by magic, but the only influence I've heard of was them not working properly in places like Hogwarts and Diagon Alley, with all the magic in the air. I don't think a spell exists to program them by magic. Probably nobody ever bothered to design one."

"So what do we do?" asked Leia.

"We wait," said Harry.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

Harry couldn't say how much time had passed, but he was beginning to feel hungry. They already had told Leia their story, and were discussing how they might get back, when the door opened once more.

Within moments, Harry pointed his wand at the white-armored figure standing outside. "Don't move," he said.

"Huh?" the figure was looking around.

"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"

"What? Oh, the uniform." The figure took off its helmet. Underneath was a young man, about Leia's age, but unlike Leia's, his face has been worn by the weather. He had short blond hair, which had been pressed to his head by the helmet. And now, after Leia said it, Harry noticed that he indeed looked too short for the armor suit he wore.

"I'm Luke Skywalker; I'm here to rescue you… Princess Leia?" he said, looking skeptically at Harry and his friends. Harry kept his wand raised. "You're not alone?" he blurted out.

"You're who?" Leia asked, impatiently.

"I'm here to rescue you. I've got your R2 unit. I'm here with Ben Kenobi!"

"Ben Kenobi! Where is he?" Leia's look of acceptance was gone, replaced with resolve.

"C'mon!" Luke yelled.

"It's all right," said Leia, looking at the trio. "They're on our side."

They followed Leia outside, which wasn't really outside, but a very long corridor, seemingly endless. Luke began to run towards one of the ends, when a new voice rang out.

"Chewie!" this new voice screamed. It was followed by a growl that sounded like a troll that Harry and Ron had to fight in their first year.

"Get behind me! Get behind me!" the voice was frantic.

Then came the explosion, and new sounds, somewhat like impacts on metal that didn't resonate. Bright red streaks of light streaked out towards them. Then a man came out of the smoke, followed by an eight foot tall, bipedal, furry, bearlike creature. The man, like Luke, was dressed in stormtrooper armor without a helmet. He was older and taller than Luke, had hair a somewhat lighter shade of brown than Leia's, and even now, his facial expression was an odd mixture of fear and confidence. He raised his eyebrow.

"I thought we were just rescuing the Princess," he grumbled.

"They were in her cell, Han," said Luke, firing his blaster at the stormtroopers as he spoke. Chewie growled something.

Han fired. A stormtrooper fell. "There's too many of them!" he yelled.

"You cut off our escape route!" Leia was angry.

"Maybe you'd like it better back in your cell, your Highness, with your three," he spat the word out, "_friends._"

"Harry looked out into the corridor and raised his wand. "_Accio blaster!_" he shouted. The lead stormtrooper's blaster rifle flew out of his hands. Harry caught it. As the stormtrooper stared at his hands in disbelief, Han shot him. "Here," Harry tossed the gun to Leia. "You're the only one without weapons."

"Thanks," Leia smiled and fired the gun. Another stormtrooper fell.

"_Accio!_" this was Ron. He caught another blaster rifle, although he couldn't see the stormtrooper it came from because of smoke. Ron fired, but couldn't see what effect that shot had.

Chewbacca made another growl.

"I know they're still coming," Han spat. "It sucks to be in this position." He fired several bolts down the hallway. Either we cling to the walls and let them approach or we stand up and risk getting killed. Some choice."

Suddenly, Hermione beamed. "Harry, do you think the shield charm will stop these bolts?"

"I don't know. I'll try." Harry thrust his wand forward. "_Protego!_" he said.

The bolts flashed their explosions in midair and vanished.

"It works!" he stood in the middle of the hallway, bolts impacting about two feet in front of him. "Now, let's expand the shield. _Protego!_" he said, louder this time.

Ron and Hermione stood up first. "_Stupefy!_" yelled Hermione, pointing her own wand at the stormtroopers.

Ron fired a few shots from the blaster in his left hand, while holding the wand in his right. "Do you know what you look like?" asked Hermione, before using the stunning spell on another stormtrooper.

Luke and Leia were already out in the hallway, firing their blasters from behind Harry's shield. Only Han still clung to the wall.

"Han!"

"I'm not about to trust my life to some kid with a stick! He's even crazier than that old man with that 'Force' of his!"

"I have no idea what he's doing either, but it's working," said Luke. "Come on, Han!"

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_" Ron's spell lifted a stormtrooper into the air and positioned him at about waist height, blocking the corridor. The other soldiers stopped, stunned by what they were seeing. Chewie, Luke, Hermione, Leia, and Han, who finally joined them, made short work of them. The corridor grew quiet. Ron dropped the stormtrooper he levitated. As he tried to get up, Hermione stunned him.

As the company headed for the exit, Han came up to Harry and whispered, "Sorry, kid. I still think you're crazy, but you did save our hides. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome." Harry didn't really mean it.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4.**

"Well, we won't be taking this elevator," Han muttered as the company watched the smoke clear. The inside of the lift showed impact of a powerful explosion. "Luke, do you know how to get back to the ship?"

"Um… not really." Luke admitted. He took out a small white cylinder and spoke into it. "C-3P0, can you give us alternate directions back to the hangar? C-3P0, come in!"

"No contact," he said.

"This is some rescue!" Leia opined. "Did you make _any_ plans at all? Or did you think you could just come in and walk out with me? From now on, you'll do as I tell you."

"Look, your worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person. Me!"

"It's a wonder—" Leia started, but she was cut off.

"Hey! We're getting nowhere here!" said Ron. "They'll probably send reinforcements here soon."

As if to confirm that, a man in a black uniform stepped in through the hole in the wall. Fortunately, he was alone, and as he reached for his belt, Chewbacca shot him. Han and Leia glanced at each other, embarrassed to be censured like that by a kid.

"You're right." Han conceded. He finished getting out of his stormtrooper armor. Underneath, he wore a white shirt, black vest, and dark blue pants with red piping going down the right leg. Ron wanted to ask what the piping was, but Han was already stepping out through the hole. A blaster shot rang out. Everybody rushed outside and saw another black-uniformed imperial lying on the floor.

"Great. Let's find another elevator," said Leia. "And be on guard," she looked at the wizards, "No matter what sort of strange things you see."

Strangely, they met no one on the way to the elevator. But as soon as everybody stepped in, they got a new surprise. "Level 2," Han commanded. The elevator didn't move. Instead, a mechanical voice said: "Please state the password."

"Why you…" Han began.

"Incorrect," replied the voice. "Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" An alarm sounded. The elevator doors began to close, and would have shut completely if Hermione didn't put a stream of blue fire into the circuit board.

"Well, you found a way to affect computers by magic," Harry commented.

"Sure. Now how are we going to open this door? Chewbacca won't get through this gap."

She was right. Everybody else managed to squeeze through the half-open doors, but the Wookiee was trapped.

"Damn!" Han swore under his breath.

Chewie growled, desperately.

"I'm not leaving you here!" Han erupted. "I won't do it!"

"I'm an idiot!" Luke slapped his forehead. "I totally forgot. Chewie, stand back!"

Luke pulled out a metal cylinder about ten inches long from his belt. He pushed a button, and a blue blade of light emerged out of it. Then Luke turned and thrust it into the elevator door. It simply went through the metal. Within ten seconds, Chewie was free.

"This is called a lightsaber," Luke said, after noticing that the three Hogwarts students had a look of awe on their faces. "I'll explain later," he continued. "Right now, we better find another way down."

"Luke?" Leia motioned to him. "I think we got a more urgent problem."

Luke and Han both turned to her. "What is it?" asked Luke.

"Listen." They did. From around the bend of the hallway, they heard the unmistakable sound of many feet. The sound was getting closer.

"Get ready," Han whispered. He and Chewbacca raised their blasters, Harry and Hermione, their wands. Harry looked at Ron and almost laughed. Ron did look somewhat funny with a blaster rifle in his left hand and a wand in his right. _Be on your guard_, he remembered Leia's warning. He looked ahead.

At least thirty stormtroopers came out of the hallway. As soon as he saw them, Han fired. They stopped in their tracks.

"_Incarcerous!_" Harry shouted. A stormtrooper that was aiming at him collapsed, tied up by ropes appearing out of his wand. At the same time, Ron stunned another stormtrooper, and Hermione aimed her wand at the one with orange shoulder pads and used the vanishing charm on him. He disappeared.

"Yaaarrghhhhhhh!" Han yelled, running towards the shocked troopers. Harry expected them to kill him, but instead, they turned and run. Chewie ran after Han, and within moments, Ron took off. Harry saw no choice but follow his friend. Hermione ended up bringing up the rear.

"…have courage," Harry heard Leia say behind him. He didn't turn back.

XXXXXXXX

_And he was calling **me** crazy_, thought Harry as ran after Han. The smuggler already disappeared into the smoke ahead, as did Ron and Chewbacca. "_Stupefy!_" they heard Ron's voice in the distance amid blaster shots. _He's alive._

"Hands up!" a stormtrooper aimed his blaster at them.

Harry complied. He couldn't have turned around and used a spell before the imperial soldier pulled the trigger. Hermione also raised her hands, but she managed to aim her wand at the trooper as she did so. "_Rictusempra!_" she said quickly.

The trooper dropped his blaster and fell on the floor. Either the spell was very strong or the man was ticklish, muffled sounds of laughter emerged through his helmet. Harry regained his composure and aimed his wand at the stormtrooper and said: "_Stupefy!_" The trooper dropped.

Harry looked at Hermione, who was listening to what was happening ahead. "They're getting closer," she said.

"Closer? Oh, no…"

Ron ran out of the smoke-filled corridor. "Run!" he shouted. "There're hundreds of them!" The Wookiee came next, clutching a wounded arm. Han, in the rear, was unsuccessfully trying to slow the imperials by firing behind him as rapidly as possible.

"Harry! What're you doing?" Hermione demanded, watching Harry step forward.

"This should slow them down," he answered. He thought about getting back to Hogwarts and other familiar things. "_Expecto Patronum!_" he yelled, pointing his wand at the stormtroopers who were running around the corner. Ron wasn't kidding. There _were_ hundreds of them.

A stag seemingly made out of white light burst out of Harry's wand and rushed the soldiers, who scattered before it. Ron, Chewie, and Han, seeing that, slowed down, but Harry caught up and motioned them forward.

"Keep going," he urged. "They're not dementors, so the Patronus can't really do anything to them." The stormtroopers already realized that, ignored the conjured creature, and resumed their pursuit.

"We'd better split up," suggested Hermione.

"Right," Harry agreed. "This way!"

He and Hermione ran off into a side corridor on the right. The imperials paused for a second and also split up, most going after Han's group, but about forty followed the wizard pair. Harry and Hermione ran down the hallway, having no idea where they were going.

Harry had trouble keeping track of time. It could have been five minutes or thirty seconds when the noise behind them began to get louder. Despite all the turns and side corridors, they weren't losing their pursuers.

Hermione tapped Harry on the shoulder. "Let's try to slow them down again."

"Are you sure?" Harry was getting tired, and wasn't sure for how much longer he could do magic.

"We won't escape by running," Hermione said. "There're more of them, and they know the station. They'll chase us into some sort of trap."

Harry nodded. Around the corner, the corridor ended in a T-intersection. The hallway to the left was identical to the one they came from, but the one on the right was short and had a ramp leading up to a small door. Hermione pointed that way. Harry followed, deciding this wasn't the time to argue.

When the stormtroopers ran into the intersection, the Hogwarts students were standing at the top of the ramp with raised wands.

"_Impedimenta!_" Harry cast the jinx, which caused several lead stormtroopers to stumble.

"_Incendio!_" Hermione's spell created a three-foot high wall of green fire between them and the imperials.

"Let's go," advised Harry.

"Good idea," Hermione agreed, since the unaffected soldiers were already shooting at them, although because of heated air above the fire, their aim was poor.

The duo walked through the door, still looking back at the stormtroopers. This proved to be more dangerous than the imperials themselves. Harry looked ahead, grabbed Hermione by her robes and pulled. She fell—backwards.

"Harry! What're— Oh, my…" she gasped.

"They'll chase us into some sort of trap," Harry commented.

It was exactly that. The walkway extended out of the wall like a piece of a bridge. The chamber they were in was at least thirty feet wide, several hundred feet long, and seemingly miles deep. Harry looked down. The bottom, if there was one, was lost in the darkness. There were all sorts of beams and even a few actual bridges across it, but none close enough to risk jumping.

A hiss and a blaster shot was heard from below and to the left. Harry looked and had to suppress an exclamation of joy. "Leia!" he shouted.

"Harry!" the former Princess was also pleasantly surprised. She turned back to Luke. "Quick! Find the controls to extend the bridge."

"I think I just blasted them," the young man said apologetically.

At that moment, more stormtroopers appeared at the hallway directly across from Harry and Hermione. They opened fire on both groups. "_Protego!_" Harry cast his spell moments before the blaster bolts hit.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Hermione's spell yanked the rifle out of the lead stormtrooper's hands. He jumped after it and fell into the abyss.

"_Stupefy!_" Harry yelled, and another imperial collapsed. The rest ran back into the tunnel.

"We've got to get across!" Leia shouted to Luke.

The stormtroopers came back, carrying a long black cylinder and a tripod.

"Harry!" Hermione pointed at them. "That looks like a machine gun!"

"_Protego!_" Harry cast the shield charm again, trying to make it as powerful as possible. A rapid barrage of bolts hit it. Harry raised his wand and put all his willpower into the spell. Droplets of sweat appeared on his forehead. "I can't hold this forever," he told Hermione.

"Here. Hold this," he heard Luke's voice. The solution hit him then. "Hermione! The broomsticks!" he shouted.

"Of course! How could I forget!" she cried out, pulling the folded package out of her pocket. "_Engorgio!_"

At that moment, a blaster bolt got past Harry's shield and nearly hit her. She dropped the enlarged brooms, and one of them fell over the edge.

"_Accio broomstick!_" Hermione yelled in panic. She grabbed it as it was flying up and looked at it. It was the Cleansweep Seven. "Good thing I caught it," she said in relief. "Ron would have killed me!" She handed Harry his Firebolt.

He took it, looked down, and saw that Luke had hooked a rope to a metal beam above him and was getting ready to swing across, holding Leia.

"Go with them," he told Hermione. "I'll cause as much havoc as I can here."

"But—"

"You're better than me at many things, but not at flying, and that's what's needed here."

"All right, all right," Hermione got on Ron's broom, took off, and landed next to Luke and Leia on the bottom walkway. She looked at Harry.

"Go!" he yelled. Than he dropped the shield that he felt he couldn't hold for a moment longer, and flew up. The blaster bolts aimed at him found empty air.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5.**

Harry flew up. He kept going higher and higher. The chamber seemed to be roofless as well as bottomless. He stopped his ascent and hovered. The only sounds were loud echoes from blaster fire far below.

"There's one of them!" a voice shouted. Harry turned and saw another side corridor, out of which stormtroopers were shooting him. He dodged the bolts, pulled out his wand, and stunned the lead soldier. _How many of them are there?_ he thought, as he resumed his ascent.

Looking behind, he saw that the imperials had brought up another machine-gun blaster. Still too tired to hold the shield charm again for more than a few seconds, Harry suddenly got the urge to rush the stormtroopers and chase after them into the corridor. _Bad idea_, he stopped himself. _I'll likely get lost in this station_. Instead, just as the imperials were aiming the blaster at him, he dived past them.

He expected the stormtroopers below to have left the chamber, but he had no such luck. They were there and they were ready. "_Protego!_" Harry said, before the bolts flew towards him. The shield charm was much weaker than the one he cast before, but it held out. But Harry knew he wouldn't last long just standing there.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" he incanted. The stag emerged out of his wand and flew towards the imperials. They fired at it, without effect. Leaving their rapid-fire blaster behind, they ran away. Harry and the Patronus followed. He kept to the main corridor, even though stormtroopers ran off into side passages, in order to be able to find his way back.

Harry turned and his mouth flew open. About twenty stormtroopers stood a hundred feet away. Behind them, large gray doors were coming together to close the corridor. Harry gauged the size of the opening and quickly decided that he would be able to make it through. He leaned forward on his Firebolt and, like a rocket, speeded for the exit over the heads of the imperial squad.

It was too late, and Harry realized it as soon as he passed over the heads of the imperial soldiers. The opening had narrowed too much for even someone as small as Harry to slip through. He yanked up on his broomstick, applying the break charm, and at the same time turned around to face the stormtroopers. He glanced at the door. The end of the Firebolt was less than an inch away from it.

Less than five feet from him, the stormtroopers were so surprised that it took them more than five seconds to start leveling their rifles on Harry. He reacted without thinking. Whipping out his wand, he yelled, "_Stupefy!_" and the stormtrooper right in front of him fell. Before the squad closed ranks, Harry rushed through the gap and headed back towards the tall shaft. The door towards that end of the corridor was also closing, but this time, Harry made it through. "…en the blast doors!" he heard behind him, before the pursuit was cut off by the pursuers themselves.

Back at the shaft, Harry pondered for a moment which way to go. Something warned him against following Leia, Luke, and Hermione. Trusting to his feelings, he instead headed into the corridor one level below, where Luke and Leia came from. After quickly flying through several intersections and finding no one, Harry came to a dead end. Well, it wasn't quite that. Harry got off his broomstick and headed for the small door at the end of the corridor. He hit a button on the wall nearby.

A smell nastier than anything he ever encountered in Potions class hit him. The room ahead of him was dimly lit, about three stories high, and full of garbage and dirty water. Strange noises were coming out of the water. Harry squeezed his own nose to avoid the smell, backed up and closed the door. He took a few deep breaths to get the offensive odor out of his lungs.

Getting back on his Firebolt, he lifted off and slowly headed back up the corridor, wand at the ready. This time, he looked carefully for another way out. In the next hallway, Harry had to curse himself for simply speeding past here on his way from the shaft. On his left was a large window, and behind the window, below, his friends, Han, Chewie, Hermione, Leia, and Luke were staring off to the side at something Harry couldn't see. They stood in front of a… _thing_ that Harry presumed was the ship they planned to get away on. His first thought was, _What a piece of junk_.

"_Incendio!_" Harry said, aiming his wand at the glass. The beam of blue fire had no effect whatsoever. He stopped the spell, regretted he didn't have Luke's 'lightsaber' or whatever that was called, and thought. Suddenly, he heard some booted food make a step nearby. He jumped, aimed his wand, and stunned the stormtrooper just as the imperial came around. Loud shouts were heard coming down the corridor.

_They're coming_, raced through his mind. Suddenly a very old memory crept up. He remembered his cousin Dudley's eleventh birthday, and how Dudley ended up in the snake cage instead of the snake. Harry got in a lot of trouble for that. Now, however, he looked at the window and smiled. He didn't know the exact spell, or even if there was one, but he hoped that something a completely untrained wizard could do inadvertently would not pose a problem for a seventh year Hogwarts student to accomplish deliberately. He concentrated, swung his wand…

The glass vanished. Just as the stormtroopers ran into the room, Harry flew through the window on his broomstick. The soldiers aimed their weapons at him. Harry looked back, and was caught totally by surprise.

The glass was back, and the stormtroopers were lowering their rifles in confusion.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted as he landed. "You're all right!"

But then, Harry's scar began to hurt. "Are you okay?" asked Ron, with a look of worry.

Despite the pain, Harry looked up to where everyone else stared. He saw an old man, in a brown robe, holding a lightsaber, like Luke's, with a blue blade. With that lightsaber, he was fighting a black-clad, black-caped, black-helmeted figure, which held a red lightsaber. Then, the old man raised his blade, holding it vertically. _What's he doing?_ Harry thought. _You can't fight in that position_.

The black figure raised its own saber and sliced through the old man. And then…the lightsaber fell into empty robes. There was no body.

The black figure kicked the robes with his boot several times, and then looked up at them. The pain in Harry's scar became almost unbearable. It started walking towards them. Then, Luke hit a control panel on the door, closing it, with the figure—Harry was certain now that it was some sort of dark wizard—left behind. Everyone rushed into the ship. Luke came last, shooting at the stormtroopers even as the ramp was going up.

When the ship lifted off, Harry collapsed from exhaust.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6.**

"Well, let's hope that old man knocked the tractor beam out of commission, or this'll be a real short trip," declared Han as he got into his pilot's chair. "I need a copilot. Princess, can you handle the controls?"

"Do I have a choice?" sarcastically asked Leia as she got up and headed for the cockpit.

"Yes, your Highness," Han was equally sarcastic. "You can get recaptured, and experience all the pleasures of Imperial captivity again."

"When you put it that way…" Hermione heard, and then almost fell when the ship took off and speeded away from the station.

"C'mon," said Ron, helping her regain her balance. "Let's help Chewie."

The Wookiee was sitting at the medical station in the back of the lounge area. Hermione drew her wand. "I don't know how something designed for a human will work on a Wookiee, so I'll just use a simple pain relief spell. _Narcosio!"_

Chewbacca made a happy-sounding growl.

"I wish we could understand him." said Ron, handing Hermione bandages to dress the Wookiee's wound.

"I can help you there," the gold-plated robot came up to them. "I am See Threepio, human-cyborg relations. I am fluent in over six million forms of communica..."

Threepio's speech was interrupted by a very loud growl.

"How am I supposed to translate if I shut up, you hairy..."

Chewbacca made another, angrier growl.

"Oh. Well in that case," the droid told the Hogwarts students, "Chewbacca said 'thank you very much' and asked how you made his pain disappear so fast."

"That could be hard to explain," commented Ron. Hermione opened her mouth, but at that moment, Han ran into the room.

"Come on, we're not out of this yet," he said. "Four imperial TIE fighters are after us!"

Luke, who was quietly talking to Harry about something, leaped up.

"Right," Han scowled. He glanced at the young wizards. "One of you better get on the belly gun,"

"I'll do it," said Hermione.

"Great," Han grumbled as he ran back to the cockpit. "A farmboy and a fifteen-year-old girl against the best Imperial pilots."

"I'm seventeen!" Hermione shouted indignantly from the bottom of the gun well, already strapping herself in. Han did not reply.

She was surprised how _naturally_ getting into the gun turret came to her. She put on the communications gear and took the controls. She swung the gun turret back and forth to get a feel for it.

"Hermione, do you read me?" Luke asked over the intercom.

"Copy, Luke," she replied. "Reading you loud and clear."

"Here they come!" Han warned.

On the targeting screen in front of Hermione, four small triangles appeared. Then she saw them through the viewport. The TIE fighters looked like balls with large hexagonal panels attached to their sides. Hermione pulled the triggers. The four barrels of the turret released a stream of orange bolts, which streaked through space. Hermione swore, since the bolts missed the imperial fighters.

The ship rocked. Another fighter flew past the bottom turret, firing bright green bolts. Hermione fired and missed again. The fighter quickly flew out of sight. The ship rocked, heavier this time.

"Hang on," Han called out. With that, the ship twisted around and leaned forward, turning over completely. Hermione realized there was no up or down here. Suddenly, the enemy fighter was blinking in the center of her targeting screen. Almost automatically, her fingers pressed the triggers. The imperial ship exploded in a huge fireball.

"I got him!" she yelled triumphantly.

"Good job!" Luke congratulated her. Then the whole ship structure shuddered. The remaining fighters were still shooting at them.

"We've lost the rear deflector shield!" Han informed them. "Keep them away from there!"

Hermione looked, and sure enough, a fighter was coming in for another pass. She fired a stream of bolts, all of which missed. But almost as soon as it went over the edge of the _Falcon_, an explosion flashed from there.

"Yaaahoooo!" Luke yelled.

"Nice shot, Luke!" Hermione complimented. "There's only two left."

"There's one of them... blast it!" Luke was furious.

The fighter that Luke missed was suddenly in Hermione's sights.

"I see him!" she said, opening fire. The TIE flew right into her bolts and exploded.

"Hey, you're really good at this!" Luke encouraged her.

"Thanks," she answered.

"Where is he?" Luke wondered.

His question was answered with the _Falcon_ shuddering as if it was about to break apart. The shudder increased as Han put the ship through another twist.

Hermione saw the TIE fly buy, managing to evade her bolts. This pilot was either better or luckier than the other three, since a moment later, she heard Luke swear under his breath. The Imperial evaded Luke's firing, and hit the _Falcon_ once more.

"Come on, baby, hold together!" Han was urging his ship, which rocked like it was making its own earthquake. Hermione put that out of her mind and, seeing the enemy again fired in a zigzag pattern. The enemy pilot, however, managed somehow to evade every single bolt she sent towards him.

"Damn!" she swore as the fighter first came out of range and then disappeared beyond her view.

"Shoot him down!" Han was frantic. "We won't sustain another hit!" Then Han turned the _Falcon_ around, heading towards the fighter. Hermione fired another, tighter zigzag pattern. She didn't hit him, but only because the pilot immediately made to maneuver out of her range. She followed him with laser fire until he vanished out of sight.

That paid off, as the pilot didn't realize that he came into Luke's field of fire before he escaped Hermione's. Luke was ready, and quickly turned the TIE into a ball of hot plasma with a well-placed barrage of bolts.

"That's it, we did it!" he shouted with joy.

"We did it!" echoed Leia

"Nice work," Han offered. "Whoever you three are, there's more to you than meets the eye."

"Thank you," Hermione was unsure whether Han was saying that simply out of politeness, or if he really meant it. "I'm seventeen, not fifteen, by the way."

"Yeah, I heard you then. Sorry. Won't happen again."

"It better not," forcefully said Hermione as she headed back to the lounge. She wondered for a moment whether she should threaten Han a little, and decided against it.

"Now," Han declared, "It's a nice, safe, quiet trip through hyperspace all the way to—where is again, your Highness?"

"Yavin Four," answered Leia.

Hermione shook her head. Despite the victory, she felt that their troubles were only beginning.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7.**

When he came back from the bathroom (or "refresher", as they called it here), Harry found Ron engaged in a game with Chewbacca at the checkered table in the corner of the lounge. Strange-looking holographic creatures were moving over it. The game appeared to be based on a concept similar to chess, although even Harry could see that it was more complex. Harry smiled. Maybe this world wasn't so different as it first appeared.

"I wonder if you can make it listen. You know, just tell it to make a certain move, instead of pushing these buttons?" Ron asked the Wookiee.

Chewbacca growled, without emotion. "He said," Threepio translated, "That they can't afford a voice-activated game board."

"Oh," Ron said, embarrassed. "I understand." _No,_ Harry thought. _Not that different. _

Leia entered the lounge from the cockpit and sat down with a sigh of frustration. Harry sat next to her. "Er," he stared, "How should I call you? Your Highness? Or is it Princess? I've never met royalty before."

She smiled. "Leia will do, at least in private," she said. "I never liked all the formal receptions anyway. And I'm only three years older than you."

Harry nodded. "Okay. Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"That black-clad man with the red lightsaber back on the station, who was he?"

"That was Darth Vader," Luke said, sitting down next to them. "Former Jedi Knight and now a servant of the dark side of the Force."

"Huh?" Hermione interrupted. "What does that mean?"

"Sorry," Luke was embarrassed. "A few days ago, I was as ignorant as you are—maybe more. Me, trying to explain what the Force is... All right, I'll tell you what Ben told me—which isn't much, I'm afraid."

"Ben? Was he the old man who..." Harry asked.

"Yes," Luke answered. "Ben, or Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Knight. The Jedi," he continued, "Have certain powers, which they derive from an energy field generated by all living things. This energy field is called the Force." Luke paused. "The things you did on the station," he asked, "what are these powers? Where do they come from?"

"We don't really know," Hermione conceded. "Most acts require a use of a wand," she took hers out and handed it to Luke, "And an incantation, but some a wizard can do with no equipment at all, just pure will power."

"Can anybody do it?" asked Leia, who was now inspecting Hermione's wand.

"No," she answered. "Most can't. In fact, in our world, most people don't even know such abilities exist at all. What we do know, is that while these abilities do run in families, there's something else at play. There are wizards born into Muggle families, and—"

"Muggle?" Luke was curious.

"Sorry. Non-magic people— it is not," she emphasized, and then corrected herself, "_Usually_ not a derogatory term. The majority of wizards try to live as isolated from Muggles as possible, to keep the existence of magic secret."

"Hmm..." Leia muttered something.

"Anyway," Hermione resumed, "There are wizards, like me, born into Muggle families, who can be trained, and there are people with no magical powers born into wizard families—we call such people Squibs."

"I think I understand... somewhat," Luke said, almost to himself, and then proceeded with his explanation. "The Force has a light and a dark side. The Jedi Knights served the light side, and were the guardians of peace and justice in the Republic. Darth Vader, a student of Ben, went over to the dark side, and into the service of the Emperor. He helped the Emperor to destroy the Jedi, killing many of them personally. Including," Luke breathed out with difficulty, "My father."

Harry's eyebrows went up. "You know," he said, "Just five minutes ago, I was wondering how similar our worlds really were. Now I realize they're more similar than I thought." And he proceeded to tell them the story about him, Voldemort, and his parents, and his encounters with the Dark Lord in the last seven years. When he finished, he looked around and realized that everyone on the ship was here. Luke, Leia, Ron, Hermione, Han, Chewbacca, and even the two droids were all listening.

"That was some story, kid," Han was the first to break the silence that followed after he finished.

"Thanks," Harry got out. He turned to Luke. "Now," he said, "I told you about my scar, and how it hurts when Voldemort is pleased about something, or when his anger at me erupts. It also hurts when he or other dark wizards are nearby. It hurt when Darth Vader looked at me. That was the last thing I expected in this world."

"Interesting," Luke said. "I wonder what that means... Say," he asked, "Can I try do some magic?"

"Uhm, sure," Harry said. "Try the levitating spell. Point at the object you want to lift, and say, '_Wingardium Leviosa!_'".

"Okay," Luke unclipped the lightsaber from his belt and tossed it on the floor. He pointed Harry's wand at it.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_" he said.

The lightsaber lifted off the ground and hovered. Not steadily, as an experienced wizard would be able to do, but it remained in the air without support. Luke lowered his wand and the saber dropped. Luke picked it up.

"It can't be that simple," Han sneered. "Let me try," he turned to Ron. "Can I borrow your wand?"

"Yeah, whatever. Just be careful," Ron warned.

Han carefully inspected the wand and pointed it at a small metal ball lying in the back of the lounge among other strange items.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_" he said, carefully pronouncing the words.

Nothing happened. Han repeated the spell, louder this time. Again, nothing. Han grunted and returned Ron his wand. "Looks like I'm a Muggle," he joked. "I probably wouldn't have believed a word, but seeing this 'magic' with my own eyes..." he sat down.

"May I use your wand?" Leia asked Hermione. "I want to know which category I fall in."

"Of course," Hermione handed it to her again.

Leia looked around and finally pointed it at the blaster rifle she had carried aboard the ship. She took a deep breath and said, "_Wingardium Leviosa!_"

The blaster floated into the air. It hovered, lower and more unstable than Luke's lightsaber had, but it did fly, although the moment Leia turned to look at the wizards, it crashed to the floor. Leia returned the wand to Hermione.

"Thanks," she said. "That felt... _unusual_ is the only word I can think of."

"I wonder what this means," mused Ron. Harry nodded. He was thinking the same thing.

"I don't know," Leia looked around. Luke shook his head.

"There is some connection between this world and ours. Our magic works, some people here can use our wands," Hermione walked around, thinking, "and Harry's scar hurts. The question is, how did we get here, and how are we going to get back?"

"I don't know," Luke said. Nobody tried to argue.

Ron gulped, and Harry suddenly felt cold. "_Can_ we get back?" he asked.

"I don't know that either," Luke told them. "You might be stuck here."

Harry couldn't think of a reply. Han broke the long silence.

"Let's get some sleep," he said.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8.**

"Well, there it is," Han announced. "Yavin Four. Your friends should be here," he turned to Leia, "Unless the Empire already found them."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she replied dryly.

"How can anyone live there?" Hermione asked. "Those storms are huge!"

"The base isn't on Yavin itself, the gas giant," explained Leia. "It's on that moon," she pointed to port. "There, do you see it?"

"Oh," Hermione said. "Yeah, I see it."

As they got closer to the moon, surface features could be marked out. Oceans, continents, islands, forests, and deserts were all there... but no cities or any artificial lights on t he night side. Harry was mesmerized.

"It's beautiful," he said.

"Yes," Leia agreed. "And if the Empire has its way, it'll be gone. Just like Alderaan."

"Attention, unknown ship!" a voice blared out of the speaker on the _Falcon_'s dashboard. "State your name, cargo, and destination."

Han was about to begin, when Leia leaned to the microphone and said, "Chancellor Finis Valorum."

"Naboo-Trade Federation crisis," the reply came. "You may proceed. Prepare to receive landing coordinates."

"What the heck was _that_?" Han demanded.

"Code phrases of the Alliance High Command. We pick terms from the history of the Old Republic. It's a good thing that this ship's so fast. If we arrived tomorrow, the phrase would be changed."

"What do these things mean?" curiously asked Hermione.

"Finis Valorum was the last leader of the Old Republic before Palpatine," Leia said. "The Trade Federation-Naboo crisis was the even that forced him from power. As far as details go, even I don't know much. The Empire, understandably, keeps information about its rise well-hidden. We may never know the truth."

As they talked, Han piloted the _Falcon_ into the moon's atmosphere and settled it into a level flight. Soon a large stone pyramid showed up on the horizon.

"Wow!" Ron exclaimed. "That thing's larger than the ones in Egypt!"

"Egypt?" Leia asked. "What's that?"

"It's a country on our planet," Ron told her. One of the first civilizations arose there... about six thousand years ago. They built very large pyramids as tombs for their kings. But that one's larger. Is it a tomb, too?"

Leia looked at him. "We don't know its purpose, but I don't think so," she said. "We haven't found any thing inside to indicate that. But of course, we may have been preceded by robbers by thousands of years. We use that pyramid as a base—headquarters of the Rebellion." Leia sighed. "Now that Alderaan is gone, this is the closest thing I have to a home."

"In that case, welcome home, Princess," Han grinned at her. "I hope your friends have the money to pay me."

Leia scoffed and headed towards the exit without looking back. The trio followed her, and Luke joined them at the hatch.

When they exited, they found themselves in front of a welcoming committee lead by tall gray-haired man with soft features. His face flushed with relief when he saw Leia.

"You're safe!" he exclaimed. "When we heard about Alderaan, we feared the worst."

"We have no time for our sorrows, commander," she declared. "You must use the information in this R2 unit to help plan the attack. It's our only hope."

The technicians took Luke's droid away. See Threepio went with them. Han followed Leia off elsewhere. The three wizards were left with Luke.

"What will you be doing?" asked Harry.

"I'll join them as a fighter pilot," Luke said, not a hint of doubt in his voice.

"I'll come with you," said Harry. "If we're stuck here, we might as well do some good."

"Harry!" Ron was struck with fear. "Do you realize how dangerous this is?"

"Yeah, it's dangerous," Harry granted. "As dangerous as coming face-to-face with Voldemort? I doubt it."

"In that case," Ron declared, "We're going with you."

"No," Harry was adamant. "You have families. Parents and brothers and sisters," he looked at Ron, "Who care about you. The Dursleys will only be happy if I get blown up. No one will miss me."

"What do you mean, no one?" Hermione almost shouted. "The Dursleys may not care, but we do. So does Lupin. And the whole Weasley family. And McGonagall. And Hagrid. Neville, Justin, Ernie, Luna...," she trailed off. "You've got a pretty loose definition of _no one_," she concluded, out of breath.

"Err...," was all Harry could manage.

"Forget it," said Ron. "We've never let you run off on your own into danger, and we aren't about to start now."

"You have a family," Hermione looked at Harry. "And don't you ever forget it."

By this time, they were inside the temple. Luke was asking for all directions, and they simply followed him. Finally, they entered a room that was full of obviously high-tech computer equipment. Standing in the center was a dark-haired, hawk nosed man slightly younger than Luke.

"I'm Wedge Antilles," he introduced himself. "So you're going to fly for the Alliance," he looked them over, his face emotionless until Luke struck out his hand and said,

"I'm Luke Skywalker."

"Skywalker?" Wedge got excited. "Son of Anakin Skywalker, the famous Jedi pilot?"

"Yes," Luke answered. "Don't look at me like that," he told Wedge. "I know nothing about him. I found out he was a Jedi less than a week ago."

"I'd like to hear that story sometime," he looked at the wizards. "And who are you?" he asked.

"Just give him your names," Luke cautioned. "We have no time to tell stories." He turned to Wedge. "Somehow, they ended up on the Death Star, in the same cell as Princess Leia. And they helped us a lot. I don't know if we'd get off if they weren't there."

"All right," Wedge conceded. "So, let's get you into simulators and see how good you are." He pushed a button on his control panel and the four doors on the cubicles in the corners of the room opened. Harry got into his machine and put on a helmet. The door shut, cutting him off completely from the outside world.

Suddenly, a screen lighted up in front of him, portraying a hangar and right ahead, behind the glass of the cockpit, a long, narrowing nose of a fighter. He looked to the sides. The fighter had elongated wings with long, spear-like extensions on their tips that Harry assumed were weapons.

Wedge's voice emerged from headphones in his helmet. "The controls of an X-Wing fighter," the pilot told them, "Are set up for someone to be able to grasp them instinctively." Harry took the yoke in his hands and realized that Wedge was right. It did come naturally.

"Remember, this is a qualification test, not a training program," Antilles continued. "Really good pilots are born, not made—although your talent will go to waste without raining. Unfortunately, we have no time to do that for you. Any questions?"

"What does the test consist of?" Luke asked impatiently.

"Three stages. First, I'll launch the same program for the four of you, separately," he paused and resumed. "Then, I'll put all four of you into the same sim-room, where you'll face a computer enemy as a team. Finally, you'll fight each other, two on two. Oh, and one more thing. In the second round, one of the enemy fighters will be flown by me," he declared with obvious delight. "Okay, enough talking, or we'll miss the battle. Ready? Go!" He launched the program, and Harry saw the hangar get replaced by stars, space, and enemy fighters.

XXXXXXXX

When Harry got out of the simulator an hour later, he first went to the restroom. Then he returned and sat down next to Luke and his friends.

Wedge stood up with a small computer (or "datapad", as Harry learned) in his hands. "Interesting," the pilot muttered.

"What's interesting?" Luke tried to hide it, but he was worried.

"The maximum score for the test is 90," Wedge said, "With 30 points for each stage. The cutoff mark, at which we allow a pilot to go on active duty, is a score of 70. Your scores were: Luke Skywalker, 86; Hermione Granger, 83; Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, tied at 78. Did any of you have pilot experience in an X-Wing or another Incom vehicle? Or in fighter simulators?

"Well, I piloted skyhoppers, but I've never even seen a starfighter."

"None of us has any experience with fighters, real or simulated," said Harry. He decided not to mention broomsticks at this time, since he wanted to explain that in detail. _When there's time_, he thought.

"In that case," Wedge resumed, "Wow. That's all I have to say. I myself have only got past 80 after two months training. To be honest, this was the last thing I expected. Now there's a problem. We only have three unassigned X-Wings available. One of you," he pointed at Harry and Ron, "Will have to stay on the ground.

"Wait, Mr. Antilles," Harry scratched his head. "How come we're tied? I shot him down when we faced each other... I think."

"You did," confirmed Wedge. "But in the team simulation, he got extra points for getting me."

"So what do we do?" Ron asked, looking at Harry.

"What else?" Harry replied, reaching out into his pocket and pulling out a silver sickle. "Heads or tails?" he held it out to Ron.

"All right...," Ron agreed. "It's just..."

"Just what?" asked Harry.

"I'm not sure how I want this to turn out. If you get killed, I'll always wonder what would happen if flew instead." He saw Harry lift his eyebrows, and scowled. "Don't try to tell me that you'd not think that if _I_ die!"

"I won't. It's just that that can be said about any choice we make." He thought about what Dumbledore once told him. "We always wonder if things might have been better had we decided on something else. And we'll never know for sure. There's no way to escape that in our world, and I doubt that it's different in this one."

Everyone stood, listening, and Harry's little speech went uninterrupted until Wedge, talked to someone on the comm and approached them.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, "But it's time for the briefing."

Harry smiled, and Ron grinned back. "Heads or tails?" Harry asked again.

"Heads," Ron called.

Harry tossed the coin. It spun, flew almost to the ceiling, fell back and plinked on the floor. They came up and looked at it.

It was tails.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9.**

The briefing room was full of people, many in orange uniforms, like Antilles'. At the front, near a display screen, stood Leia, who was talking to an old man. Harry looked around and saw Han standing in the back of the room. They sat down next to Wedge in the front row. Leia gave them a quick smile before the old man stepped up to address the chamber.

"That's General Jan Dodonna," Wedge whispered to them.

General Dodonna cleared his throat, motioned a technician with his hand, and a display of the Death Star appeared on the screen. Some in the audience gasped.

"The battle station," he began without any introduction, "Is heavily shielded and carries the firepower greater than half of Starfleet. Its defenses are designed against a direct, large-scale assault. A small, one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defenses."

Harry heard Hermione snort to herself, and he was pretty sure that had to do with the expression "one-man" that Dodonna used. Hermione was the only female pilot in the room.

Wedge raised his hand and said, "Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are our snub fighters gonna be against THAT?"

"Well, the Empire doesn't consider a one-man fighter to be any threat," Dodonna answered, "Or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of he plans provided by Princess Leia has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station. But the approach will not be easy."

He paused and looked at the screen. It was now focused on the interior of a small trench on the station's surface, and moving along it.

"You are to maneuver straight down this trench," the general resumed, "And skim the surface to this point." The screen showed an end of the trench and a small opening in the wall. "The target area is only two meters wide. It is a small thermal exhaust port right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system." The screen now showed the whole station and a dotted line, representing the shaft, running into its center. "A precise hit," the general continued, "Should set off a chain reaction that should destroy the station." The screen displaced white streaks coming out of the center, and then blanked out. "Only a precise hit will set off a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes," Dodonna concluded and looked at his audience.

The room was full of murmurs, then Wedge spoke up.

"That's impossible even for a computer!" he protested.

"It's not impossible," Luke corrected him. "I used to bulls-eye womp-rats in my T-16 back home; they're not much bigger than two meters."

"Then man your ships," General Dodonna ordered, "And may the Force be with you." Everyone filed out of the room.

They were already suited up and heading to the hangar when Luke stopped and motioned in another direction. Harry saw Han and Chewbacca loading boxes into the _Falcon_. They approached the smugglers.

"So, you got your reward and you're just leaving, huh?" Luke sneered.

"That's right," Han said. "I've got some old debts to pay off, and even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, do you?" He looked at Luke, then at the wizards. "Why don't you come with us? You're pretty good in a fight. We could use you."

Harry was about to protest, but Luke did it for him. "Come on," he said. "Why don't you look around? You know what's about to happen, what they're up against. They could use a good pilot like you. You're turning your back on them."

"What good is a reward if you ain't around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station ain't my idea of courage. It's more like... suicide."

"Maybe we should use the Imperius curse on him," Ron whispered to Hermione.

"Uhm...," she began.

"Hermione, don't tell me you _know_ how to do the Imperius curse?" Harry was shocked.

"Well... yes," she admitted. "I once encountered an owl that didn't like me and wouldn't deliver my letter, so I tried it out of frustration and... it worked."

"What's the Imperius curse?" Han asked, suddenly curious.

"A spell to make someone else do what you want them to do," Harry explained.

Han's mouth flew open. "Oh, no," he gave them an assured look. I'm leaving right now, before you try any of your tricks."

"All right," Luke said angrily, meaning that it wasn't all right. "Well, take care of yourself, Han. I guess that's what you're best at." With that, he strolled of. Harry and his friends followed, but then Han suddenly turned back towards them. "Hey, Luke," the smuggler called.

Luke turned, looking hopefully.

"May the Force be with you," Han said. "With all of you."

Luke smiled for a moment, then shook his head and headed to the hangar.

The Princess was waiting near the ships. She looked them over and frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked Luke.

"Ah, it's Han," he sighed. "I really thought he'd change his mind."

"He's got to follow his own path, no one can choose it for him," Leia said philosophically. Harry was reminded at what he told Ron just a little while ago about choices. He had to agree with the principle, but no one told him he couldn't disagree with the choice Han made.

Leia gave Luke a quick kiss and headed away. At the hangar door, she turned and gave Harry and Hermione a long and thoughtful look.

"May the Force be with you," she said.

"Good luck," Ron said as he stood up to leave.

Harry shook his hand. Hermione gave him a hug. At the door he turned and gave his pilot friends a smile of encouragement.

"What if this is the last time we see each other?" Hermione's question was chilling, doubly so because Harry was thinking it as well. _Probably everyone on this base is thinking the same thing right now_,Harry thought.

"Don't say that," he said aloud. "It won't happen."

"Harry, Hermione," Luke came up to them, "This is my friend Biggs Darklighter," he introduced a young man with unruly black hair and weathered face like Luke's.

"Nice to meet you," Harry said and shook the man's hand.

An older man they knew as Red Leader approached them.

"You sure you can handle this?" he asked.

"Sir," Biggs admonished him, "Luke's the best bush-pilot in the Outer Rim territories."

"You'll do all right," he said. "And what about you two?" he turned to the wizards. "Harry Potter and Hermione Granger..." he stared in thought. Harry saw Wedge Antilles leave his fighter and approach their group. "Don't worry, Wedge," Red Leader said. "I'm not going to throw them out. It's not like they'd let me if I wanted to. Get to your ships," he ordered. "I've just received a message from Dodonna. The Death Star is in this system."

Harry smiled at Hermione, who suddenly embraced him. "As they say here," she whispered, "May the Force be with you."

"You, too," was all Harry could reply before she headed to her fighter. Harry took a deep breath and left for his.

Harry got into his X-Wing, and a small astromech droid—R5-Q7, as he was told when he got it assigned to him—was lowered into the back. It beeped confidently. Harry chuckled. The technician smiled at him, and closed the cockpit. Harry, on his side, hermetically sealed it with a push of a button.

"Red Squadron, you are clear for departure," a voice in his helmet headphones announced.

Harry saw X-Wings with red markings take off one after another. He activated his own repulsorlifts, which gently raised his fighter into the air. He flew through the hangar door and turned upward, following the rest of the squadron. He looked around. Hermione was slightly behind and to the left, close enough for him to see her face and wave as she accelerated her craft to fly past him. She waved back. Harry closed his eyes and relaxed to prepare himself for the battle.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10.**

Ron sat next to Leia in the command and control center. The screen showed a symbolic representation of the planet Yavin, the Imperial battle station behind it and the fighters heading towards it. General Dodonna stood next to them, silent. Ron could practically feel the tension in the room.

"The future of a galaxy in the hands of two dozen people," someone murmured.

The simple statement made Ron feel like it was the middle of winter again. "Can we hope?" he whispered.

"We must," answered Leia. "Hope is what the Rebellion is made of."

Meanwhile, over a hundred thousand miles away, the pilots were approaching their target.

"All wings report in," ordered Red Leader.

"Red Ten, standing by," the first reply came.

"Red Seven, standing by."

"Red Three, standing by," Biggs called in.

"Red Six, standing by," a fat man named Jek Porkins reported.

"Red Nine, standing by."

"Red Two, standing by," called Wedge.

"Red Eleven, standing by."

"Red Four, standing by," Harry said softly.

"Red Eight, standing by," echoed Hermione.

"Red Five, standing by," Luke finished the roll call.

"Lock S-foils in attack position," Red Leader commanded.

Harry pushed a button on his control board, splitting the wings of the fighter into the shape that gave it its name.

"We're passing through the magnetic field. Hold tight!" the squadron commander warned.

"Look at the size of that thing!" Wedge said in awe.

"Cut the chatter, Red Two," Red Leader castigated him. "Accelerate to attack speed."

Harry did so. The imperial behemoth now covered his whole view. Even without the enormous indentation that formed the dish of its main weapon, it could not be taken for a natural moon at this range. He heard others, who were seeing this for the first time, gasp.

Then the surface of the station erupted with green turbolaser bolts. But the fighters were so nimble that the bright green beams flew through space where fighters were two, three, even five seconds ago. Harry had to put in almost no effort in evading them.

"Red Leader, this is Gold Leader," the commander of the Y-Wing squadron called out.

"I copy, Gold Leader," Harry's commander replied.

"We're starting for the target shaft now," Gold Leader announced.

"We're in position," Red Leader answered. "I'm going to cut across the axis and draw their fire."

The squadrons broke off from each other. Harry's unit prepared to attack the turbolaser batteries on the surface. Wedge dived first.

"Heavy fire, boss!" he yelled. "Twenty-three degrees!"

"I see it," acknowledged Red Leader. "Stay low."

"This is Red Five," Luke reported. "I'm going in."

Harry saw Luke make a run on one of the fire points, hurling red bolts out of his wingtips. Then a huge fireball erupted on the station, and Luke flew right into it.

"Luke, pull up!" Biggs shouted to his friend.

"Luke!" Harry gasped before the Red Five fighter vanished into the explosion it created.

"I got a little a little cooked, but I'm okay," Luke relieved his friends as he emerged from the glowing plasma.

Then Hermione prepared to make her own run. "I'm going in," she called out.

"Red Four, cover Red Eight," Red Leader ordered Harry, who was about to do that anyway. "Check, Red Leader," he answered.

"Harry," Hermione said, "Are you detecting all that EM output?"

"Harry looked at his instruments. "Right. Fifteen degrees south," he answered.

"Let's take it out," she suggested. "I think it's a detector."

"Okay," Harry got ready.

Hermione unleashed a barrage from her laser cannons. Only the last bolt impacted and scorched the gleaming metal surface.

"It's got shields!" Hermione realized as she was pulling up.

"Not anymore!" Harry said, and showered it with bolts of his own. The small tower exploded into millions of fragments.

"Nice shot, Red Four," Red Leader congratulated him.

"Squad leaders," a transmission from the base came in, "We've picked up a new group of signals. Enemy fighters heading your way."

"My scope's negative, I don't see a thing!" Luke announced.

"Pick up your visual scanning," urged Red Leader. "Here they come!"

"Hermione, behind you!" Harry called out, veering off to intercept his friend's pursuer.

Hermione was dodging the bolts from the TIE, but couldn't shake the enemy off despite all maneuvers. Harry got behind the TIE, repeating all its twists and turns. Instinctively, he knew when to depress the triggers. Red bots criss-crossed space and converged on the Imperial, who exploded.

"Yes!" Harry cried triumphantly.

Then his own fighter shook. Harry looked and realized that while he followed Hermione's chaser, he picked up an enemy behind him himself.

"I've got one on my tail!" he shouted.

"Coming to get him, Red Four!" this was Porkins, who immediately pulled up from the run he was about to make along with Biggs. He approached Harry in a tight turn and fired. His cannons found their mark.

"Thanks, Red Six," Harry said with relief. "A little longer, and I'd be toast."

"Attention, Red Squadron," the voice of Red Leader was the calmest thing in this sector of space. "Gold Squadron failed its run and was destroyed."

Harry fired his cannons again, blasting an Imperial on Porkins' tail.

"Three groups of three remaining," Red Leader said. "Three attack runs. We're going in first," Red Leader announced and headed for the trench. Red Ten and Nine went with him.

"More fighters approaching," Hermione said.

"Copy, Red Eight," acknowledged Porkins. There were five of them, flying in formation.

Harry fired a spread of bolts, all of which missed. Then he had to dodge the enemy fighters' own fire. He did so, turned around, and blasted one of the two TIEs chasing Red Six. The bolt hit the pylon which attached its wing to the cockpit, and the Imperial spun out of control and crashed into his partner. Moments later, they both became hot gas.

"Good shooting, Red Four," Porkins congratulated him. "I thought I was a goner. This evens up the odds."

"Harry! Turn right!" Hermione demanded.

"What?" he asked, but did as she said nonetheless. A TIE on his tail exploded from Hermione's bolts.

"Good job!" he said, and looked around him. "Hermione, there's one after you."

"I got him," Porkins called, opening fire on the Imperial.

"I'm hit!" Hermione yelled.

Before the enemy could do any more damage, Porkins destroyed it.

"Are you okay?" Harry called out.

"Yeah, it's not bad," she replied, breathing heavily. "My droid will try to repair it."

The last fighter was flying away from the trio, deciding that the odds were against it. He evaded Harry's bolts, flew straight into Porkins' field of fire, and was gone.

"Ugh—," Harry breathed out. "That was close. Where's everyone else?"

"Harry! Hermione!" Luke's voice erupted in their headphones. "Are you all right?"

"We're fine, where's Red Leader?" asked Harry.

"Gone," Luke said. "Biggs and Wedge are gonna make the next attack run with me. If we fail, it's up to you."

"Check, Red Five," Porkins acknowledged. They flew high above the station, while Luke, Wedge and Biggs headed for the surface.

"Harry! Look what's happening!" Hermione cried. "Those three fighters got behind them—they'll destroy them before they reach the target!"

"So what do we do?" Harry wondered.

"I'll get behind the fighters, in the trench. You keep other enemy fighters busy so no one gets behind _me_."

"Affirmative, Red Eight," Porkins replied.

Hermione veered off, got into the trench and followed the three TIE fighters, the middle one of which was bigger than the others and had unusual angled wings. Harry and Porkins remained at altitude.

"There's two of them, trying to go after your friend," Porkins announced.

"I see them," Harry switched his lasers to half-power and gave a rapid fire spread. Porkins did the same. While none of the bolts hit, the two Imperials had to fly off instead of getting into the trench.

"Let's follow them, Red Six," Harry told Porkins.

The other pilot, concentrating on his flying, did not reply. He turned left, while Harry headed to the right. What neither of them realized was that the TIE pilot on the left, instead of flying away, was circling a nearby tower. Thus, when Porkins made his U-turn, the roles of pursuer and pursued were the reverse of what they were supposed to be.

"He's behind me!" Porkins cried out.

"Hang on," Harry called, abandoning pursuit of his own TIE. I'll get him."

He got behind the enemy fighter, skimming the surface of the station. He caught it in his targeting computer...

Too late. The TIE's bolts might have left their barrels microseconds before Harry's, but they had left. Harry flew through the explosions of two fighters, rather than one.

"No!" he screamed. He was already beginning to consider the pilot, who reminded him of Hagrid because of his size, a friend. And now...

He almost didn't notice his own fighter's alarms ringing out. Looking at his sensors, he realized that the fighter he stopped chasing to try to save Porkins had doubled back and was now chasing him. And he lost his deflectors when he flew through the debris of the enemy and Porkins' fighters.

The TIE's bolt found its mark. Harry suddenly found it very difficult to maneuver, but his reflexes let him compensate. He looked at the instruments.

"I've lost number two engine," he said. "Someone get this fighter off my back."

"Be right there, Red Four," Wedge assured him. Before Harry could respond, the other pilot said in a commanding tone, "Pull up... now!"

Doing so, Harry saw a glimpse of the flash behind him, and Wedge's fighter, flying over him, moments later.

"Thanks, Wedge," he followed the other pilot over the trench. "What happened?"

"I got hit, and Luke told me to pull out," Antilles explained.

"Where are they?" Harry asked.

"There... I see them! But... where's Biggs!"

"Dead," Hermione said. "That strange fighter shot him down. I'm trying to get him before he does the same to Luke."

"Check, Red Eight," Wedge said tensely. "We'll keep fighters off your back. If Luke fails, try to make the shot yourself," he instructed. "I don't know if we can make it down the trench without deflectors."

"Got it, Red Two," Hermione replied, and accelerated even more. She prepared to fire at the strange-looking TIE.

What she didn't plan for was that that TIE had laser cannons that could fire backwards.

She dodged the bolts by flying up and to the left, but she had to do it so quickly that she couldn't judge distance properly. The bottom left wing of her fighter hit the edge of the trench and broke.

The young witch was saved only by the incredible speed she had achieved. The wing, made of an alloy ten times stronger than titanium, snapped like a toothpick. The speed was such that the loss of a wing had hardly any effect on the direction of her flight, and so Hermione avoided crashing into the station. But Harry didn't know that... All he saw was the flash of a small explosion where the wing impacted.

"Hermione!" he cried out in terror. "Are you okay!"

"I'm fine... just lost a wing of my ship," she said. "It's Luke we have to worry about. That strange TIE is on to him."

Harry looked below. The three TIEs were closing in on Luke, who did look to be in trouble.

Suddenly, a new ship appeared below. Harry recognized instantly. Elongated disk, two triangular protrusions in front, a cockpit attached by a tube on the right side. The _Millennium Falcon._

The ship's bottom turret opened fire, annihilating one of the regular TIE fighters chasing Luke. The strange-looking Imperial craft veered off and impacted his other escort, which lost control and smashed into the trench. The fighter with angled wings spun away into space.

"You're all clear, kid," Han Solo called out on the open channel. "Now let's blow this thing and go home!"

Luke fired his torpedoed. They came to the end of the trench and... no explosion came. The warheads were in.

"Great shot, kid!" Han's excitement couldn't be contained. "That was one in a million!"

"Wedge," Harry called to the other pilot, "We should go after that weird TIE fighter."

"Sure," Antilles followed him. But Harry realized that they lost time. The pilot of that ship had regained control and was heading away from the planet. Harry got ready to fire, but suddenly pain erupted in his scar. That moment's hesitation was enough. The strange-looking TIE fighter vanished.

"Must have been an experimental model," Wedge said. "They usually don't build them with hyperdrives. Cheer up, Harry," he called him, for the first time, Harry noticed, by name. "We still won."

As if on cue, the Death Star behind them exploded, with nothing but hot gas and metal splinters remaining behind. Six ships headed back to the fourth moon: four X-Wings, one Y-Wing, and a freighter that, Harry had to concede, did not look like piece of junk while it was in space.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11. **

Back at the base, celebration had already begun when the ships landed. Harry and Hermione barely got down onto the hangar floor before Ron tried to hug both of them at once. "You're alive!" he cried. "You're alive!"

Everyone thanked them, hugged them, congratulated them. Even their astromech droids were cheerfully exchanging beeps. None of them was in as bad a shape as Luke's R2-D2, who was silent and for whom Threepio was now offering to donate his circuits.

"You're heroes," Leia said, looking around. "You're all heroes. The galaxy will never forget you."

Wedge approached them. "Excellent flying, people," he said simply. "I'll be honored to fly with you again. And if you friend's as good as you two, we'll be invincible." Hermione beamed back at him. Harry simply clasped Wedge on the shoulder and smiled.

As they headed for the banquet, Ron whispered to Hermione, "Are you sure you didn't use the Imperius curse?" he asked pointing at Han, who was now laughing along with Luke at something.

"No," she said, chuckling. "Besides, you know it can be resisted, and he looks strong-willed enough for that. If I tried, it might have backfired. No, he came back on his own. I've a feeling he'll stick around for a while, too."

"I thought you didn't trust divination," said Harry.

"That's not divination," Hermione replied, "That's common sense."

The next day, the entire base personnel gathered in the great hall of the temple, which was hundreds of meters long. Luke, Han, and Chewbacca were marching down the aisle, walking by members of the Alliance who stood in respectful silence. Ahead, next to the podium, stood Dodonna, Leia in a splendid formal white gown and a hairstyle that made rings on the back of her head rather than at the sides, and the repaired droids, See Threepio and Artoo Detoo. A few steps below, but still above the main audience, were four pilots and their astromech droids: Wedge, Harry, Hermione, and Keyan Farlander, the surviving Y-Wing pilot.

When the trio walked up, Leia took gold medals from the general and placed them around the necks of Han, Luke, and Chewie. The honored heroes turned to face the crowd, which erupted in cheer. Harry wanted to do the same, but Leia motioned them forward. The four confused pilots stepped up, and the princess, receiving a second tray from Dodonna, placed silver medals on the necks of Keyan, Wedge, and the two wizards. Then she motioned them to turn around as well. The audience gave a second cheer. Harry turned and saw Leia beaming with a radiant smile at them. He nudged Hermione. "When we get back home," he said, "Do you think anyone will believe us?"

"You said _when_, not _if_," Hermione told him.

"I know. I meant it. We will get back."

"Yes," she agreed. "We will."


	13. Interlude 1

**Interlude 1.**

"He's awake."

"Are you sure?"

"There, his arm just moved."

"Madam Pomfrey, he's waking up!"

Neville Longbottom opened his eyes and saw the familiar ceiling of Hogwarts hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, leaned over him. "How are you dear?" she asked.

"All right, I think. Hungry. What happened?"

"You had hypothermia," said Ginny Weasley, who was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"You nearly froze to death," Luna Lovegood looked at him from the other side, and gave him a kiss.

Neville smiled at her. "When was I brought in?" he asked.

"About nine o'clock last night," Luna told him absentmindedly. "Hagrid brought you in."

"Why did you lie in the snow, Neville?" Ginny asked.

"Malfoy must have knocked me unconscious," Neville said, "And left me there." Then he remembered what transpired yesterday. "Where's Harry?" he demanded.

"We haven't seen him since yesterday morning," Ginny said. "Nor Ron or Hermione."

"Oh, no," Neville shuddered despite the well-heated infirmary and heavy blankets. "I have to see Professor McGonagall. Madam Pomfrey, can I leave?"

"Not yet, dear. I'll release you in a few hours, once we're certain nothing happened. Hypothermia can have aftereffects."

"You don't think this is about You-Know-Who?"

"It might be," Neville said. Neither of the girls knew what to say to that.

"I'll get McGonagall," Ginny said.

"Luna…"

"I was looking for you yesterday… I had no idea until Hagrid came in."

"Sorry… I just didn't expect it all to happen?"

"Didn't expect what to happen, Mr. Longbottom?"

"Professor McGonagall!" Neville sat up on his bed as McGonagall and Ginny came in.

"Miss Weasley said you insisted on seeing me." She was calm, but Neville did see worry in her eyes.

Professor, it's about Harry," Neville proceeded to explain what happened yesterday on the Quidditch field. "Harry told me to tell you if he didn't return by this morning," he finished. "Professor, do you have any idea what it was?"

"No, I'm sorry to say I do not. The magic you described is not familiar to me." Ginny gasped. "I assure you, I will make my best effort to locate them." She paused. "I'm sorry, Miss Weasley… Mr. Longbottom… Miss Lovegood." The headmistress walked out. At the door he waved his wand in a circle. Neville saw the bulletin board near the exit change. He could only see the largest print of the main notice, but that was enough to explain what happened. The board read:

**_QUIDDITCH FIELD OFF-LIMITS TO ALL STUDENTS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE_.**

After he was released, Neville went back to the Gryffindor tower. Ginny was there, and so was Luna, who hugged him as soon as he entered.

"Neville," Ginny said, leading him to the window, "Take a look. McGonagall and Flitwick have been doing something strange all day."

The two teachers were on the Quidditch field, walking around, muttering to themselves, and occasionally, waving their wands.

"They're studying the place where Harry and Ron have disappeared," Neville told her. He really felt sorry for her… having your brother, your boyfriend, and your best friend disappear like that…

"And Malfoy saw everything?" Ginny asked.

Neville nodded.

"One day..." Ginny dreamed. "I miss Dumbledore…"

"We all do," said Neville. "Ginny, Harry is still alive. I know it. And, well… I promise you that you will never have to go after them by yourself. Luna?" he turned to his girlfriend, who nodded. "Whatever happens, we will do it together."

"Thank you," Ginny whispered, looking at her two friends.

The teachers paced the field until sunset. Neville tried to talk to McGonagall when she entered the castle, but the headmistress went up into her office without giving him so much as a glance.


	14. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12.**

Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, Harry, Ron and Hermione were still with the Rebel Alliance. To say that they tried to get back home and failed would be an overstatement, since they knew nothing that would enable them to make such an attempt. They knew nothing about the phenomenon that brought them here. They didn't know if it was natural or artificial, magical or technological, whether they were brought here on purpose or by accident, whether the purpose, if it existed, was for good or evil. They didn't know if the phenomenon was still where they came out, or if it moved, or if it vanished, nor whether it would appear again. They didn't like to think they were giving up, but the sparseness of knowledge made even thinking about it a waste of time.

The galaxy was a big place, yet the eyes and ears of the Empire were everywhere. In the past three years, the location of Rebel headquarters had to be changed five times. Now, they had a base on an almost completely uninhabitable planet, one completely covered with snow and ice. This world was called Hoth, and until they came here, none of them could imagine that a place so cold could exist.

Hermione was sitting in her quarters, reading about the history of the Jedi Knights (the information, thanks to the Empire, was woefully incomplete), when someone knocked on her door.

"Come in," she said, expecting Ron or Harry. But instead, Princess Leia walked in and sat down with a sign of frustration.

"Hello, Leia," she welcomed the other woman, "what's the matter?"

"It's Han," Leia complained. "I tried to persuade him to stay."

"And?"

"And he suggested that I wanted him to stay because I liked him... That made me angry, so I told him to shove it. That probably made him more likely to leave than before. And you know what, Hermione? Can you keep a secret?"

Hermione remembered the Time-Turner she had used in her third year. "Yes, I think I can," she said.

"I'm not so sure he was wrong—otherwise, why does it bother me so much that he's leaving?"

"Wait a minute, Leia," Hermione stared at her, "You _do_ like Han?"

"No! Well... a little. I don't know," Leia fell back in her chair and closed her eyes.

"There's another secret for you. The image I project—that I always know exactly what to do in every situation—is just that: an image."

Hermione struggled to think of an answer when another knock came. "Come in," she invited the guest.

"Harry walked in. "Oh, hi, Leia," he said. "I didn't know you were here. Have either of you seen Luke?"

"What, he isn't back yet?" Leia asked, worried.

"I don't know... but if he isn't, we'd better find him. The sun's setting already."

"Maybe Han knows," Leia suggested. She took out a comlink and punched in the code. The response was static.

"Damn," she swore. "I'll send Threepio for him. Try to find if Luke came in," she told the wizards before leaving.

"Let's find Ron," Harry told Hermione. He may have seen Luke."

Ron was in the auxiliary hangar working on a snowspeeder. "Stupid thing," he was saying when his friends approached.

"What's wrong?" Harry took interest.

"It's this speeder," he answered, "You know how they can't work in this cold without protection? Well, I tried to shield it from the cold by magic. It worked... for about three minutes. Then the engine shut down and I fell from fifty feet. Now I have double the work of others—I have to install protection _and_ repair the damage from that crash."

"Have you seen Luke?" Harry asked.

"No," Ron stood up. "Has he returned?"

"We don't know, but it doesn't look like it," Hermione sounded troubled. "It's already night."

Chewbacca ran up to them and growled something at Ron.

"What?" he cried. "Alone? Is he crazy?" Then he looked at his friends. "Come on," he urged them.

"Ron, what happened?" Harry yelled as they ran after their friend.

"Han rode out on a tauntaun to look for Luke," Ron replied. "I'm going to help him. Are you coming?"

"Of course," Hermione assured him. "Let me get my wand."

After they got dressed and equipped to go out into the Hoth night, Harry began to saddle his snow-lizard.

"What're you doing?" Ron asked.

"How do you think we'll get there?" Harry was surprised at the question.

"I thought we could fly on our broomsticks," Ron proposed.

"Are you kidding?" the suggestion struck Harry as the stupidest thing ever said. "At night, in the snow, with hundred-mile-an-hour winds? We'll forget which direction the base is in a minute out. No way."

"Oh," Ron realized and began saddling his own tauntaun. When Hermione returned, they were ready.

Without saying anything, they approached the front gate, which still wasn't closed for the night. Leia was standing there, as was Chewbacca and Luke's two droids.

"What're you doing?" the princess asked.

"Helping Han and Luke," Hermione replied. "What else?"

"Let's go," Harry motioned to his friends.

"May the Force be with you," they heard Leia say before the sounds of the snow storm masked everything else.


	15. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13.**

"_Lumos!_" Harry said, lighting the tip of his wand. "Light yours, too," he told his companions. "That way, we won't have to look for each other."

They did so, but even with three wands glowing at their brightest, it wasn't possible to see clearly beyond five feet. They had to rely on portable scanners, and much more importantly, their inner senses to decide on direction.

They talked little as they rode, realizing that heat was lost with every word one said. They rode close together, since even with wand lights, it was easy to disappear from view.

"There, look!" yelled Ron, pointing to their right where suddenly, a bright blue-white glow was seen. With this visibility, it was impossible to judge the distance, but the same poor visibility indicated it couldn't be far.

"The glow vanished, but the trio already turned towards it. They soon saw a body of a tauntaun, a human body lying prostrate next to it, and another human leaning against the animal.

"...bad on the outside!" the conscious human said in Han Solo's voice.

"Han!" Ron leaped down and ran towards the smuggler.

Han turned around and looked at them. "Help me set up shelter!" he yelled. "Luke's still alive!"

"Dagobah... Yoda..." Luke moaned. Then Sad sounding grunts suddenly filled the air. The three tauntauns the wizards arrived on collapsed from the cold.

"Oh, no..." Hermione muttered. She liked the animals.

"Lift his head a little," Harry told Han before drawing his wand and murmuring an incantation. He reached out to the front of Luke's face. "Good," he said.

"What did you do?" Han asked.

"The bubble-head charm," Harry replied. "Keeps air near the head isolated. We use it to go underwater, but it should keep out the cold air as well."

"Move him a little," said Hermione. "Now, for some warmth. _Incendio!_" she cast the fire-lighting spell. A blue fire appeared in front of them.

They warmed their hands a little and resumed setting up a tent. Every few minutes, one of the wizards checked on Luke. The bubble-head charm had to be periodically broken, so whoever was inside wouldn't suffocate. They made sure to do that next to the fire, where the air was warm. Like this, they spent the night, perpetually worried whether Luke was unconscious or just asleep.

In the morning, Han ordered them to set up their comlinks to receive any frequency used by the base. Sure enough, only minutes after sunrise, they picked up a transmission.

"Commander Skywalker, do you copy? This is Rogue Two. This is Rogue Two. Captain Solo, do you copy? Lieutenant Granger, do you copy? This is Rogue Two."

"Good morning," Hans spoke into his comlink. "Nice of you guys to drop by!"

"Echo base," they heard the voice in the comlink speaker, "This is Rogue Two. I found them, repeat, I found them." Zev Senesca, who found them, picked up the still unconscious Luke and Han. Two more speeders arrived to take the wizards in half an hour. Hermione was pleased at the sight of the pilot who arrived in the second speeder.

"Hi, Wedge," she said.

Wedge Antilles opened the back of his cockpit, letting Hermione in.

"Welcome aboard," the second-in-command of Rogue Squadron beamed at her. "Please hold on to you baggage..."

"Oh, shut up," she dismissed the joke. "Remember where your misplaced sense of humor got you on Eriadu?"

"You'll never let me live that down, will you?" Wedge asked as he lifted the speeder and turned towards the base.

"Why should I?" Hermione shook her head. "I had to come rescue _you_ then. And don't you dare say we're even. Nobody's been shooting at you here."

Wedge made a sigh. "You can outfly a woman," he muttered to himself, "But you can't outargue her."

Back at the base, Luke was swimming in a solution of healing fluid called bacta. Fortunately, Han and the wizards go to him before anything more serious than heavy frostbite occurred. The damage was healed, and soon, the base's medical droid declared Luke fit.

"Master Luke, it's so good to see you fully functional again," the protocol droid See Threepio congratulated him. The astromech droid Artoo Detoo beeped in agreement.

"You look strong enough to pull the ears of a gundark," Han offered.

"Thanks to you," he said, looking around the room. "To all of you."

Han was about to say something when Leia walked in. Seeing Luke, she smiled, and turned to Han.

"Well, your Highness," the Corellian grinned, "Looks like you managed to keep me around for a little while longer."

"I had nothing to do with it," Leia contested. "General Rieekan thinks it's too dangerous for any ships to leave the system until we've activated the energy shield."

"Is that so? Well I think you just can't bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight."

Harry sensed trouble coming and excused himself. Both his friends followed, although Hermione stayed behind at the door. When they got out of her hearing range, Ron was the first to speak.

"What was that about?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Harry retorted. "Han and Luke both like Leia, so although they're friends, they're also jealous of each other. I remember how it was between me, Cedric Diggory, and Cho Chang, in our fourth year. Unless they start going at each other with blasters, it's best if we avoid involving ourselves.

"You know what I'm thinking?" asked Ron.

"No, what?"

"Well, I've been thinking this for quite a while," Ron explained. "At first, this world appeared to be very different from our home. And on the surface, it is. But deep down..."

"Yeah," Harry said. "It's so similar that it's scary."


	16. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14.**

"Here we go again," Harry joked as they were getting into their flight suits.

Ron weakly chuckled, since it was true. Evacuating bases under Imperial attack has become almost routine for them. The euphoria following the destruction of the Death Star nearly evaporated. A good number of people who stayed with the Alliance did so simply because they had nowhere else to go. Harry sometimes wondered if he, Ron, and Hermione were among these.

"You know what's the most annoying thing?" Ron asked his friend.

"No."

"I've just finished repairing that snowspeeder, and now, we have to live it behind for the Empire."

"Ouch," Harry agreed.

"It's easier for you and Hermione," Ron half-complained. "You didn't learn, growing up, to see magic as a solution to everything."

"If it's easier, that's your own fault," Harry told Ron as they headed to the hangar for the briefing. "You're the one who volunteered to take undercover missions for Intelligence."

"That's totally different! I'm talking about this world... I just wasn't used to so much technology. Besides, I'm not in Intelligence now, just an ordinary fighter pilot."

"Come on, Ron. Technology isn't that hard to learn to use. And it was magic that got us here, and if we ever get back, it'll be by magic."

"How do you know that?" Hermione approached them at the hangar entrance.

"I don't," Harry replied. "Not for sure. But it's just a feeling I have."

"You spend too much time with Luke," said Ron.

"Quiet down," Wes Janson, one of their fellow pilots, told them.

"Sorry."

"All troop carriers will assemble at the North entrance," Princess Leia began the briefing.

"The heavy transport ships will leave as soon as they're ready. Only two fighter escorts per ship. The energy shield can only be opened for a short time, so you'll have to stay very close to your transports."

"Two fighters against a Star Destroyer?" Hobbie Klivian asked skeptically.

"The ion cannon will fire several sots to make sure any enemy ships will be out of your flight path. When you've gotten past the energy shield, proceed directly to the rendezvous point. Understood?" This brought about nods from the group of pilots. "Good luck." The pilots dispersed.

Harry was getting ready, having his astromech, R5-Q7, loaded into the back of his X-wing, when the announcement blared out. "Attention, Rogue Squadron! Imperial ground forces are approaching the base. Get to your speeders!"

Harry rushed away. "Take care of the ship, CueSeven," he told the droid.

At the speeder hangar, other Rogue Squadron pilots were getting ready. Unlike X-wings, snowspeeders required a crew of two, a pilot and a gunner. Harry's gunner was Keyan Farlander, the only Y-wing pilot to survive the attack on the Death Star.

"You ready, Keyan?" he asked the older man.

"Yeah," the gunner replied. "We always end up in the thick of things, don't we?"

"Hey, cheer up," Harry smiled, although the other man was already behind him and couldn't see it. "The odds against the Death Star were longer."

"That's not saying much," Keyan said sarcastically. "Let's get this over with.""Rogue Four, you are clear," the flight controller announced.

"Check, Echo Base," Harry replied, lifting his vehicle off the ground and flying out of the hangar to join the other speeders.

"Echo station five-seven, we're on our way," Luke announced from the lead speeder. "Rogues, follow me."

"Check, Rogue Leader," Wedge replied. "I see them!"

Harry did two. He remembered that these machines were called AT-ATs, or All Terrain Armored Transports. Most people just called them walkers. They walked on huge mechanical legs carrying bodies loaded with weapons. Despite their initial lumbering appearance, they could move incredibly fast. Ground soldiers Harry met told him that walkers were what they feared the most.

Suddenly, one of the snowspeeders was blown apart by a walker. Harry nearly met the same fate, but he managed to evade the bolts aimed at him.

"Keyan, get ready," he told his gunner and dove at the imperial machines. He fired the forward guns. The fire had no effect except to make the walker notice him and send a stream of its own bolts at his speeder. Keyan, firing the rear guns after Harry flew under the walker, did no better.

Another speeder was hit and crashed into the snow, exploding. Luke swore over the intercom as he pulled out of his own attack, with no more success than Harry.

"That armor is too strong for blasters," he said. "Rogue group, use your harpoons and tow cables. Go for the legs, it may be our only chance of stopping them."

Harry realized what Luke was thinking. "Keyan, can you make the shot?"

"I think so. Just get us in position," his gunner assured him.

"Hermione, cover me," Luke ordered.

"Affirmative, Rogue Leader," she answered. "Ron, if they miss, you'll have to do it."

Luke dove, flying through heavy fire. The imperials tried to create an impenetrable barrier and it looked like they were succeeding. Luke was hit, and nearly crashed, but managed to stabilize his craft. Hermione escaped unscathed, but had to get back to altitude to do so.

"I've lost my gunner," Luke told his pilots. "Wedge, you'll have to make this shot."

"Coming around, Rogue Leader." Wedge Antilles and his gunner, Wes, headed for the AT-AT. Choosing the machine on the other side of the battlefield, he called in. "Hermione, can you cover me?"

"I got it," she responded.

Taking a deep breath and trying to relax, Harry lowered his speeder almost to ground level and flew towards the mechanical monster. As he sped underneath it, Keyan fired the harpoon, which attached to the rear right leg. "Got him!" the gunner exclaimed.

Harry began to fly around the walker, entangling its legs in the cable. He was momentarily distracted when cheers erupted at the huge explosion from the AT-AT that Wedge and Wes brought down by the same method.

"I can't det—" Keyan shouted, and then Harry's speeder shook so violently that he crashed into the controls of the craft. The craft spiraled out of control and fell to the ground.

"Keyan?" Harry asked his gunner.

The other man moaned in pain. Then a shadow passed over them. Harry looked up and gasped. The cable _did_ entangle the walker, and it was now crashing... over them.

Being near its legs saved them. The body of the machine passed over them and fell several feet away. When it hit, it felt like an earthquake.

Harry opened the cockpit and got out. Feeling the pulse of his gunner, he made a sigh of relief. Keyan was alive, and still conscious. "_Narcosio!_" he said, and then, "_Alohomora!_" The straps were opened and Harry pulled the wounded man out.

A blaster bolt nearly killed him. Harry looked around and saw another type of walker, two-legged, like a chicken, heading for him. It was still some distance away. "_Protego!_" he said, absorbing its next few bolts into the shield. The barrier held, but Harry knew that even one shot at point-blank range would blast through. He closed his eyes, stretched his feelings... and then he remembered.

"_Accio Firebolt!_" he yelled, raising his wand towards the base. Then he aimed at Keyan. "_Ferula!_" he bound his wounded leg. "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" he said, lifting the man above the snow.

His broomstick landed next to Harry. He got on, took it in one hand and his wounded, hovering gunner with the other. Then, flying over the battlefield, he headed back to the base.

Despite three downed walkers, the Rebels weren't doing too well. Wrecked snowspeeders and dead bodies were lying around, smoke was rising from the burning wrecks, a giant crater was where the shield generator used to be, and only sparse blaster fire came at the imperials from the trenches set up in front of the main compound. Echo base was about to fall.

Harry didn't land, didn't even stop. He just slowed down. "Did all the transports leave?" he asked the first person he saw inside the base.

"No, there's one more," she replied. "Third hangar."

"Thanks," Harry flew off. The transport was about to close the bay when Harry rushed in and shouted, "Stop! I've got a wounded man!"

The loadmaster looked at Harry, then at Keyan.

"He's still alive," Harry nearly begged.

The man made his decision. He picked up two large boxes at the edge of the hatch and threw them out.

"Hey, that's—" someone inside the transport tried to complain.

"Shut up," the loadmaster cut him off. "Medic!" he yelled.

"Thanks," Harry told him.

"May the Force be with you," the soldier replied as the hatch was closing. Harry got back on his broom and headed south, where Rogue Squadron's X-wings were assembled.

"Harry!" Hermione rushed up to him. "Are you all right? Where's Keyan?"

"I got him onto the transport," Harry said. "He was wounded."

"Guys," Wedge announced to the pilots, "A number of our X-wings had been destroyed when the shield fell and the ceilings started to collapse. We have seven pilots and six fighters. I see no choice except to draw straws."

"Wait one moment," said Ron. "Maybe we don't have to. Got a comlink?"

"Here," Luke handed his over. Ron took it and punched in the code. "Han," he said, "are you still here?"

"About to take off, kid," the Corellian replied. "What is it?"

"Do you have room for me?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, sure, but we can't wait. They're already shooting at us."

"It's okay," Ron told him. "Just keep the hatch open when you fly out."

"Sure, no problem," Han cut the connection.

"Ron! What's the meaning of this?" Hermione demanded.

"Harry," he asked, "Can I borrow your Firebolt?"

"Okay," Harry saw what Ron wanted to do. "What about your broomstick?"

"It's just a Cleansweep Seven," Ron said, but Harry knew how hard that must have been. "There's no time, even by summoning. Maybe we'll come back sometime and find it. Don't worry; I'll take good care of it."

"Good luck," Harry and Hermione said at the same time.

"I'll see you later," he assured them, in a tone so casual that one might have thought he was simply going to the store.

Then the _Falcon_ flew out of the base, and Ron took off. Harry followed him with his eyes, until he disappeared behind the ship, which soon turned up to escape into space.

Hermione hugged him. "Good luck," she said. "Stay safe."

"You too."

They got into their fighters and took off.

The orbit, like the ground before the base, was littered with wrecks of Rebel vehicles, but also of imperial TIE fighters and even several Star Destroyers knocked out by the ion cannon. They had no trouble, at least in this region, getting through the "blockade." Having done so, Luke veered off, and Harry, decided to follow him.

"Harry," Luke asked, "What're you doing?"

"What does it look like? Going with you."

"Why?"

"It's just a feeling I have."

"Well... all right."

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "You're leaving us?"

"Don't worry. We'll come back if you're in trouble—won't we, Luke?"

"Of course. Wedge," Luke said. "You're in command until I get back."

"Right, boss," the other pilot acknowledged. "Ill try not to steal too much of your glory."

Luke laughed softly. "Sure, Wedge."

"May the Force be with you," Hermione said.

"Thank you," Luke answered. Then the rest of the squadron vanished into hyperspace. Luke and Harry were left alone.

"You got the coordinates, Harry?" Luke asked.

"Yeah. What's the place called?"

"Dagobah system. I've never heard of it, so I can't tell you what it's like. We'll find out soon enough."

"Right. See you there." He saw Luke's ship vanish and then took his own fighters into hyperspace.


	17. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15.**

As soon as he regained balance, Ron rushed to the _Falcon_'s cockpit. The first thing he saw were swarms of TIE fighters shooting at them.

"Do you need me on the guns?" he asked the pilot.

"The main guns ain't working, kid," Han grunted back.

Ron gulped.

"Well, we can still outmaneuver them," the Corellian assured him. With that, he took the ship straight towards the three Star Destroyers.

Ron didn't even have time to shout in fear before the freighter flew between the enormous warships. Two of them collided. The third, however, was still following, as did four TIE fighters. The _Falcon _shook under their laser bolts.

"Prepare to make the jump to light-speed." Han told Chewie.

"But, sir!" Threepio protested. Ron glared at Threepio. He knew how dangerous it was for a pilot to be distracted.

"They're getting closer!" Leia warned.

"Oh yeah?" Han said with an air of triumph, "Watch this!" He pulled a lever on the dashboard.

Nothing happened. The _Falcon_ shook again.

"Watch what?" Ron looked at him. Leia also raised her eyebrows.

"I think we're in trouble," Han finally admitted.

"If I may say so, sir," Threepio cut in, "I noticed earlier the hyperdrive motivator has been damaged. It's impossible to go to light-speed!"

"We're in trouble!" Han declared, and getting out of his chair, he ran to the back of his ship. The Wookiee followed him.

Ron took the pilot's seat, grabbed the controls, and evaded a barrage from the TIEs. Some bolts still hit the _Falcon_ and the Star Destroyer itself was much closer as well.

"I can't outfly all of them!" he told Leia. "I'm not used to flying anything this big!"

What he saw next nearly made him jump. "Yikes!" he gasped, barely managing to evade a large rock in his path. The ship shook again, but in a different way. There were more of these rocks flying around, and Ron was struggling to evade them.

"Han, get up here!" Leia yelled. The Corellian ran up, Chewie behind him. Ron quickly vacated the pilot chair.

"Asteroids," the princess said, pointing out the window.

The view was peppered with them, ranging in size from pebbles to small planets. _Great_, Ron thought. _Imperials behind, asteroids ahead_...

"Chewie," Han told his copilot, "Set two-seven-one." Even Ron knew what that meant.

"We're going _in _there!" Ron couldn't believe it.

"They'd be crazy to follow us, wouldn't they?" Han replied.

"So we're the crazy ones?"

"You don't have to do this to impress me," Leia told Han.

That made Ron shudder. _Is that why he's doing it?_

Threepio spoke up. "Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately three thousand seven hundred and twenty to one!"

"Never tell me the odds!" Han retorted, and sent the ship forward. Rocks started hitting them, but he managed to evade the bigger ones, and the deflector shields held. _For how long?_ Ron wondered.

One of the four TIEs that followed them collided with an asteroid and exploded.

"Three to go," Han said, continuing to fly around the rocks surrounding the _Falcon_.

"What about the Star Destroyer?" Ron asked. "That doesn't count?"

"No," Han said, "It doesn't." He glanced at Leia. "You said you wanted to be around when I made a mistake, well, this could be it, sweetheart."

At that moment, another collision with a TIE and an asteroid reduced the number of their pursuers to two.

"We'll be pulverized if we stay out here much longer," Leia said dryly.

"Pulverized?" Threepio covered his eyes.

"We're getting closer to one of the big ones." Han announced.

"Closer!" Leia, Ron, and Threepio exclaimed at once.

Han did just that. He flew a few feet above the asteroid, dodging blaster fire from pursuing TIEs. Suddenly, Ron realized they were flying towards a crater wall.

"Han!" he yelled, thinking the smuggler didn't see the obstacle. But Han banked the freighter and, flying sideways, entered a trench in the wall. The trench was getting narrower, and Han made it out on the other side with only a few inches to spare. The two imperials weren't so lucky.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Han gained altitude and flew over the asteroid. "There. That looks pretty good," he said.

"Huh?" Ron looked at him, puzzled.

"Yeah, that'll do nicely."

"Excuse me, ma'am," Threepio asked Leia, "But where are we going?"

They ignored the droid as Han took the _Falcon_ into a cave at the bottom of the crater. After flying through a long, twisting tunnel, he landed the ship and shut down the main engines.

"We made it." he told the others.

"For now," Ron qualified.


	18. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16.**

Hermione took stock of how much of their library remained intact. _Not much,_ was the answer. Technical documentation had the priority, of course—so she could spend many hours learning how Corellian transports were put together. But in the closest, most disastrous base evacuation yet, most entertainment and historical datatapes the Rebels accumulated were left behind. Hermione understood, of course, that it would be even worse with printed books—but she missed reading from actual paper just the same. And they were going to remain here for an indefinite period.

They had been sent here almost immediately after they arrived at the fleet rendezvous. Now, they were in orbit around a watery world called Mon Calamari. Two large passenger liners built by the native species of the same name (whom Hermione hasn't yet seen) were being converted into warships. It was vital to the Rebellion that that work be completed, and so Rogue Squadron and the star cruiser _Bright Future _were assigned to protect the shipyards until more forces could be sent. No one knew how long that would take.

"How're you, Hermione?" a familiar voice said from behind.

"Wedge! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"You shouldn't call me that," Wedge Antilles looked at her, and she realized he was joking. "I'm your commanding officer now."

"Okay. Don't sneak up on me like that, _sir_," she said.

"Good. Now that we got that out of the way, what's troubling you?"

"Boredom," she replied truthfully. "And that I have no idea where my friends are."

"Welcome to the club," he told her. "On both counts. You looking for entertainment holos? Don't bother. We had one... Tycho took it with him when we left Echo..."

"And?" Hermione's curiosity was aroused.

"He got into a sabacc game with the officers of the _Future_," Wedge said. "And lost. They're watching it right now."

"Actually, I was more interested in the history files. Here," she pulled out a datacard out of her pocket. "Since we've arrived here, I've been collecting all the information that I thought might help us get back on this. Take a look," she insisted.

Wedge inserted the card into his datapad and whistled.

"Yeah, I know. Ninety-eight percent of the card is still blank. Not much to show for three years, is it?"

"Why are you telling me this?"

The simple question stumped her. _Why indeed?_ "I never should have tried that stunt..." she muttered.

Wedge didn't understand. "What?"

"Oh... this may take a while. Why don't you sit down?" she invited the pilot.

Wedge got into a chair and looked at her. Hermione paced the room for a few seconds, and said, "You see, Wedge, the fact that we're stuck here is my fault."

"Yours?"

"Yes. Do you know how we got here?"

"No... you never told anyone."

"Well, did Harry ever tell you about Quidditch?"

"Yeah, he did. He even let me try flying on his broomstick once... I prefer an X-wing."

"Well, the reason we're here is that I had the urge to try some flying for myself—at the wrong place, at the wrong time. I fell through the portal between the two worlds, and Harry and Ron followed me. If it wasn't for me..."

"You can't blame yourself for things you can't control."

"What? But that's the point—it was my decision to try it."

"You yourself said that you may have been brought here on purpose—which means that it _was_ beyond your control. Who knows? Maybe the Death Star would still exist without you. Stop pretending that your friends are blaming you behind your back. You disappeared, and they went after you without a second thought. That tells you everything you need to know about them. Stop sulking, Hermione. It won't do anybody any good."

"Wedge..." she stammered. The truth of his words hit her. "Thank you. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Nothing. I think it's just stress. I overworked myself."

"Come on. I'd like you to meet someone."

She stopped. "Who?"

"You'll see. And stop looking so gloomy. I can make that an order."

A grin crossed her face at that. "You don't have to," she said.

XXXXXXXX

Two X-wings emerged from hyperspace. Harry activated his communication system.

"Luke, you made it?" he asked.

"I'm fine," the other pilot assured him. "Let's find a place to land."

Dagobah was, except for the polar icecaps, a dark green color. It was covered with a thick blanket of clouds, so only small patches of surface could be seen.

"I don't know, Luke. Are you sure we should go there?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Harry lied. "This place just feels, well, _unusual_. Not evil, if that's what you mean... just strange."

"Come on, Harry. Artoo I understand... but you?"

"I'm not afraid," Harry defended himself. "Just concerned."

Luke chuckled. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine."

"I hope you're right," Harry said apprehensively.

"Hmm..." Luke changed the subject. "I'm not picking up any cities or technology. Massive life-form readings, though. There's something alive down there." With that, he dropped his X-wing into the atmosphere. Harry saw no choice but to follow.

Clouds surrounded them, and Harry quickly lost sight of the other fighter. "Luke!" he called.

"I'm still here," a reply came, heavily punctuated with static. "I'm..." the voice vanished.

"Luke?" Harry shouted. "Luke!"

There was no reply. Then Harry's astromech droid send a series of shrill beeps.

"What!" Harry glanced at his dashboard. The instruments displayed nothing. "How high are we?" More beeps. "You don't know? Great," Harry said. "We can just crash into some cliff that we won't even see." With that, he closed his eyes for a few moments—not that it made much difference—and started flying the craft by instinct. The controls resisted him, so the fighter shook like crazy. CueSeven covered the communication screen with messages. Harry didn't read them.

He was already preparing to land when branches began to be visible through the fog. Harry activated the repulsors and shut off the main engines. He heard a crash, and felt his fighter go into a rapid spin. The droid squeaked. Harry ignored him, desperately trying to regain control. He managed to do so, just before the fighter contacted the ground by smashing its nose into a large rock. Harry was thrown forward, nearly crashing his head into the dashboard. Then all motion stopped.

Harry took a deep breath. "You all right, CueSeven?" he asked.

The droid beeped affirmatively. "Good," Harry said. He opened the cockpit and climbed out. They were on the edge of a dense, dark forest. Harry saw several very thick trees a few feet away. There was mist everywhere.

Fifty feet away, Harry saw a strange, white object that didn't seem to belong here. Then he realized it was a piece of his fighter's wing. He helped his droid get out onto the ground and headed for it. Then he saw that he was standing on the edge of a cliff, with nothing but fog several feet ahead of him.

CueSeven gave a long series of inquisitive whistles. Harry had to look at his display screen to get the message. "Oh. No, I have no idea where the other wing is. Maybe it fell down?"

The droid whistled something. "How deep?" Harry repeated thoughtfully. He spotted a large rock. "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" he said, lifting it and moving it over the edge of the ravine. "You ready?" he asked the droid.

CueSeven acknowledged. Harry dropped the rock. It fell through the mist and vanished. Harry waited. He managed to count to twenty before the sound of a splash came back. The droid made a beep of surprise. Harry looked and gasped. The display read out: 1708.2 meters. _More than a mile,_ Harry thought. _Well, we can forget about looking for the other wing down there. At least for now._

He then looked at the damaged nose of the fighter and was surprised, this time pleasantly. The armor wasn't broken, just bent. He had a feeling spare parts would not exist on this world, and this meant they might not need them to get the ship to fly.

"CueSeven," he said, getting out survival gear, ration packs, and a blaster, "Stay here, and repair what you can. I'll go find Luke and Artoo." The droid beeped a question. "I'll be all right."

CueSeven whistled something that sounded like a good luck wish. "Thanks," Harry said. "You too." He walked between two ancient trees and entered the forest.


	19. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17.**

Han rose. "I'm going to shut down everything but the emergency power systems."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Threepio said, worried, "But does that include shutting me down?"

"No," Han flipped, "I need you to talk to the _Falcon_, find out what's wrong with the hyperdrive."

Rumbling was heard inside the asteroid. The ship quaked; Ron grabbed hold of the navigator's chair to stop himself from falling.

"Sir," Threepio turned to Han. "It's quite possible that this asteroid is not entirely stable."

"Not entirely stable?" Han repeated. "I'm glad you're here to tell us these things. Chewie, take the professor in the back and plug him into the hyperdrive."

"Oh," the droid whined, "Sometimes I just don't understand human behavior. After all, I am only trying to do my job..."

Ron followed Chewbacca. "Need help?" he asked.

The Wookiee made a pleasant-sounding growl. Threepio began to translate, but Ron waved him away. Over the past three years, he learned to understand Shyriiwook, as the alien's language was called. He couldn't speak it, but that didn't impede their communication.

Chewbacca removed a panel from the ceiling and picked up the toolbox. Then he climbed into the opening, and pulled Ron up. He growled at Ron.

"That's easy to fix," Ron smiled. "_Lumos!_"

Chewie made a bark of gratitude and began untangling cables.

"Oh, where's Artoo when I need him?" they heard Threepio's voice from below. "Sir, I don't know where your ship learned to communicate, but it has the most peculiar dialect. I believe, sir, it says that the power coupling on the negative axis has been polarized. I'm afraid you'll have to replace it."

"Well, of course I'll have to replace it!" Han retorted. "Chewie," he whispered, "I think we'd better replace the negative power coupling."

Chewbacca nodded and prepared to climb back down.

"Wait," Ron told him. "Where is it?"

The Wookiee pointed to a coil of cables lying in the back.

"_Accio!_" Ron said, and the coil leaped at him. He caught it. "Here," he handed it over. "This, right?" he pointed to an almost identical part above him. Seeing Chewie nod, he began removing it.

"Would you please stop calling me that!" Leia shouted.

"Sure, Leia," Han replied, and then the voices got too quiet for them to hear. Chewbacca made a quiet howl.

"I'd be more worried for all of us," Ron said. "It may be a good thing if they have something going between them. Maybe Han will stop trying to run to the other side of the galaxy." The Wookiee nodded and got back to repairs. With his next bark, he changed the subject.

"I'm sure they're a lot better off than we are." Ron replied. They're probably wondering where we are... and worrying."

Chewie closed his eyes. "It's all right," Ron said. "We'll see them again—if we can get this ship to fly. Let's get back to work."

XXXXXXXX

The rest of Rogue Squadron sitting around the lounge of the _Future_, and they were talking to a large alien of a species Hermione hasn't seen before. It had a domed head with huge protruding yellow eyes. Its skin was salmon-colored, and seemed to have a texture similar to an amphibian's. Its large webbed hands ended with long fingers with no visible joints or fingernails. It was dressed in a simple, sleeveless gray outfit, and was obviously excited about whatever it was explaining.

"Yes," Wedge told her, "That's a Mon Calamari."

"Who is... he?" she whispered, guessing at the gender of the alien.

"She," Wedge corrected. "Nelir is the primary designer of these new warships."

"Hello," Hermione said, slightly embarrassed. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"I am pleased to meet you," said Nelir. Her voice was had a resonating, musical quality to it. "Do I understand correctly, that you were part of the group that destroyed the Death Star?"

"Yes," Hermione told her. "Wedge and I were there. But I didn't do that much. Luke Skywalker actually destroyed it."

"Still, I am honored," Nelir said. She gave them a short bow and turned back to her explanation.

"Boss," Wes Janson called out to them, "Do you know what these ships will mean?"

"What?" Wedge looked at his partner.

"It means we won't have to sleep in our X-wings anymore."

Hermione laughed along with most other pilots. Saying that sleeping in a starfighter was uncomfortable was like saying that the sun was warm. They sometimes had to do that even when they had a base ship, like the _Future, _since they didn't want to risk not being able to get to their fighters before the cruiser was destroyed. Hermione hoped that Wes was right about the new ships changing all that.

"With these ships, the Rebellion will finally have something that can stand up to the Empire's Star Destroyers," Nelir said.

"It doesn't look _that_ powerful," Hermione looked at the ship that resembled a giant eyeless fish floating in space.

"It is a warship, but we didn't want to make it _look_ like a warship," Nelir explained. "Most of its weapons are disguised—which also serves a purpose, of course, since the enemy doesn't know exactly where a shot may come from. We won't know for sure until it goes into battle, but it'll probably be about an even match against a Star Destroyer—one on one, that is. Our ships are faster at sublight and have better shields, while the Imperials outstrip us in firepower and hyperspace speed. But," she raised her arm, "You are going to tilt the balance in our favor."

"Us?" Hermione stared at her.

"Yes, you. The MC80A star cruiser can carry up to ten squadrons of starfighters versus the Star Destroyer's six. So if you're at least as good as the Imperials—" she couldn't finish due to a massive eruption of jeers from the group. The Mon Calamari engineer smiled.

"In three days, the ship will be completed enough for us to offer you a tour. It would be an honor if you attended," she said. With that, she walked around and shook the hand of each pilot. In the doorway, she turned back. "And in case you have to leave us before we meet again, may the Force be with you."

The pilots dispersed. Hermione and Wedge remained at one of the windows, looking down at the ocean world.

"It must be nice to live there," Hermione suddenly said.

"Maybe..." Wedge nodded.

"Maybe I should visit. Who knows when I'll get another chance? Will the Mon Calamari let me?"

"Of course they will. Do they look paranoid?"

"No..."

"Ever heard Mon Calamari music?"

"Can't say I have... what's it like?"

"You'll have to hear it with your own ears. There's a concert tonight. Among the performers will be Altnel Suimir."

"I've never heard of him."

Wedge raised his eyebrow. "Be careful not to tell that to any Mon Calamari. You might end up in serious trouble. Hearing Altnel perform on his aquatrumpet is a ... _memorable_ experience."

The information intrigued Hermione, but now she realized what was happening. "Wedge! Are you asking me out?"

"Is something wrong with that?"

"With _asking_? No. I'd just prefer you do it directly."

"Okay, Hermione. Will you?"

"It's a date, Wedge." Then she gasped. "But... I don't have anything to wear."

The other pilot laughed. "Yes, leaving dress uniforms behind on Hoth was a crime. Will you relax? It's not a formal ball. Just wear something clean and presentable."

Hermione giggled at his quip about the dress uniforms. "All right..."

"Major Antilles?" a new voice from behind them said. They turned around. Standing there was a woman, a little shorter than Hermione, with her light brown hair wrapped in a ponytail. She wore a plain uniform of the Alliance Army, with no decorations of any kind. Hermione glanced at her insignia. A major, like Wedge. _What would an Army major want with us?_

"Yes?" Wedge looked at the woman.

"Are you in command of Rogue Squadron?" she asked.

"Currently, yes." he said. "What can I do for you, major—?"

"Jan Ors," the woman introduced herself. She looked at Hermione. "And you are?"

"Lieutenant Hermione Granger," she said.

"I thought Rogue Squadron didn't admit women."

"We admit anybody who qualifies. Lieutenant Granger definitely qualifies," Wedge defended his unit. "That's not what you came here for, Major Ors."

"No," she replied. "I work for Intelligence. We've discovered something very serious, and we need your help."

"You're aware that we're at less than half-strength right now, major? We lost three pilots at Hoth, one wounded, and three left to go elsewhere."

"Yes, I know. You're still the best we've got."

"Right," Wedge said. "I'll have the Rogues assembled in," he glanced at his chrono, "A half hour."

"Good. I'll see you then." Jan Ors left the lounge. Hermione looked at Wedge. He nodded.

"Looks like our date gets postponed, Hermione. I'm sorry."

"Weren't you just telling me that I shouldn't apologize for things beyond my control?"

Wedge looked embarrassed. "You don't miss much."

"No." With that, she headed away. "I'll see you at the briefing." She needed to relax and calm down the torrent of thoughts going through her head before that briefing started. _Wedge likes me_, she thought. They had been good friends in the past three years, but he never before gave a hint that he was interested in her like that. _Why did he have to do it now?_ But she knew the answer to that, of course. There was a place to go, and there was time... or so they thought. _I wish I could discuss this with a friend_. But Wedge was her closest friend around. _Come on, Hermione_, she had to tell herself. _You're acting like you're afraid of him_. That thought made her laugh at herself for being so silly. _Afraid?_ No, she decided. But she had no idea what about the prospect of going out with Wedge made her tremble.


	20. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18.**

Harry didn't like that he was reminded of the Forbidden Forest on Hogwarts grounds. This place was like that—except it was bigger, older, and stranger. At that thought, however, a smile crossed his face. _Hagrid would like it here._

He also had to admit that he liked something about it as well. After Hoth, the place felt so... alive. He walked carefully, making sure not to disturb any dangerous creatures. He was certain that someone or something here was watching him.

When choosing his route, he simply picked the path that felt right, since he had no clue what direction Luke was in. _I've relied on my feelings too much_, he mused. _First in coming here, then in landing the fighter, and now, this... Of course,_ he laughed bitterly, _if I stop it, I'll just be lost in the forest on some unknown planet. And it doesn't feel like there's any real malice around me._

The sun, which Harry couldn't see, was probably setting, since it was getting darker. He pulled out his wand. "_Lumos!_" he said, and immediately regretted it. All around him, white mushrooms exploded, showering him with strange white powder. He turned and was greeted by more explosions. "_Nox!_" he shouted in exasperation. The explosions stopped.

"Ugh," he said, and began cleaning himself up. Then, once the echoes of the explosions subsided, he heard a deep, rumbling nose behind him. He turned and gulped.

A seven foot tall, white spider with an enormous bulbous head was approaching him. Harry backed into a tree, and raised his wand. "Don't come any closer!" he yelled.

The spider, however, did not seem to be intelligent, like Aragog. It simply ignored Harry, stepping out into the clearing. It looked around, raised itself, and, one by one, stuck its legs into the ground. Then it grew quiet. Harry went on his way, periodically looking back to make sure it wasn't some trick.

Soon it began to rain. Visibility shrank to almost none, but, remembering his first attempt, Harry didn't dare try to light his wand again. After walking for several hours, mostly by touch rather by sight, Harry did see something: a light in the distance. It wasn't a white, electric light, but orange, like a fire. Harry headed there. He arrived at a clearing, and had to keep himself from shouting out. The light was coming from a window of a small mud hut and inside, he saw Luke, talking with someone. Harry approached the building. "You will be... You will be..." an unfamiliar voice whispered.

Harry knocked on the door. "Enter, you may," the same voice said, its tone one of amusement rather than foreboding, as before.

Harry did so. Luke sat on the floor of the hut, eating stew, and next to him set a creature unlike any Harry as ever seen before. It had scaly green skin, white hair, and pointed ears that struck out of the sides of its head. Enormous eyes were rapidly moving, scanning the creature's surroundings. The creature was less then three feet tall, and both its arms and legs ended in thee clawed fingers. The creature wore gray robes and carried a large cane.

"Harry!" Luke exclaimed, breaking off Harry's inspection of the creature. "You made it!"

"Yeah," Harry turned back to the creature. "Hello," he said. "I'm Harry Potter."

"Expected you I have not," the creature told him.

"Harry," Luke said, "This is—" the creature made a gesture at Luke, cutting him off.

"Why are you here, I wonder, hmm?" it tilted its head in a question.

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "I just came with Luke."

"And why followed you him, hmm?" the creature inquired.

"It just seemed the right thing to do," Harry said defensively.

"Right! Know none of us what right is when we do it. Or do not." With that the creature closed his eyes and Harry felt himself probed. It wasn't an invasion, more like a connection. Then it ended.

"Some training you have. Know of it I do not. Tell me you must," the creature finally said.

"Umm..." Harry didn't want to sound rude, but he couldn't see what to do except plainly say what was on his mind. "Can I eat first?" he asked.

To his surprise, the creature chuckled and motioned him to sit down. Then it poked Luke with its cane.

"Learn from your friend, you could," it said.

Harry raided his eyebrows. The creature chuckled and poured him a bowl of stew. Harry didn't recognize any ingredients in it. He tasted it. It was horrible, but feeling hungry and not wanting to offend the creature, he continued to eat, and soon got used to it. _That's what weeks of ration bars will do to you_, he thought.

Luke put down his bowl. "Did you land okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Barely... I ended up on the edge of a cliff. I think one of the wings broke off and fell into the canyon..."

"Great," Luke shook his head. "One fighter in the swamp, the other broken."

"Planning to leave, you are, hmm?"

"Eventually, yeah," Harry looked around. He certainly wasn't going to live on this planet.

"When ready you are, able to leave you will be," the creature said.

"How? What do you mean by ready?" Harry looked at Luke and only got a surprised look.

Harry finished his stew and remembered something. "You said I have some training. How did you know? And what do you mean?"

"Difficult to explain. Difficult... Show me some of this 'magic', you should."

"Uhm... okay." Harry drew his wand. "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" he whispered, aiming at the empty bowl. It rose and hovered in the middle of the room.

"Hmm...," the creature whispered, and raised a clawed hand. Harry felt the bowl become heavier, and slowly pushed down. He tried to resist, but eventually it softly landed on the stone floor and sat motionless. No matter how much energy he put into the spell, the bowl sat there.

Harry couldn't believe it. "What did you do?" he asked the creature.

The creature replied with a question of its own. "What know you of the Force?" it inquired.

"Very little," Harry admitted. "Only what Luke could tell me."

"Strong, your presence is in the Force. Trained as a Jedi you could be... but can the commitment you make, hmm?"

"What?" Harry was stunned. _A Jedi?_ Luke often talked about the Knights, but hardly anything was known about them. But the creature was asking the question with all seriousness.

"Your magic. For evil it can be used, as well as for good."

Harry touched his scar. "Yes," he said.

The creature sat with its eyes closed for what seemed like hours. "Sense I," it said, "That important role you have to play... but clouded the future is. Resist the path of evil, Jedi training can help."

"I know what evil is. I will not become part of it," Harry insisted.

The creature looked at him with sadness. "Many I knew, who made proclamations like that. Too many. Easy the path of evil is. Strong its allure."

Harry wondered at what this meant, but finally decided that there was a reason his instincts told him to come here in the first place. He nodded at the creature.

"Train you both I will," it said, gesturing at Luke. "Together stronger you will be." Then it laughed. "Say it, you can."

Luke smiled at Harry. "Harry, you've just met Jedi Master Yoda."

XXXXXXXX

Hermione entered the briefing room and sat down next to Wedge. Jan Ors input a datacard into a reader, and a screen in front of the room displayed a map of the galaxy. The intelligence officer zoomed in on a portion of the Mid Rim around Ord Mantell. The system she highlighted was a little closer to the galactic core than that planet.

"Suran Minor," she informed them. The planet appeared ordinary enough, with about three quarters of the surface covered in ocean, and the rest by continents with varied terrain. "Officially," Jan said, "Home base of the 19th Imperial Stormtrooper Corps, the 54th and 76th Imperial TIE Fighter Groups, and several minor units. Nothing unusual. But a few months ago, things began to get suspicious."

"Like what?" Hermione asked.

"The base got a new commanding officer, General Queder," Jan pushed another button, and an image of a man, apparently in his forties, appeared. "There was no record of him in any Imperial service—not Army, not Navy, not the stormtrooper units, nothing."

Hermione knew what that meant. _They're hiding his background. _Recognizing the acknowledgments, Jan resumed her briefing. "Once we dug deeper, things became quite clear. He has been reassigned from the Imperial Department of Military Research."

"And here's a new addition to the base," Jan told them, changing the image again. The screen now showed a blue-tinted hexagonal Imperial seal, and over it was a flask with red liquid inside. On the perimeter of the seal, were letters, forming the name of the organization. The letters read: **Imperial Center for Chemical Welfare**

Some in the audience laughed. Jan Ors gave them a nod, and pushed a button on her datapad. "Here's that organization's _unofficial_ logo," she said.

The new logo was almost identical to the previous one. It differed by only two letters, but, of course, the two letters changed everything. The logo now read: **Imperial Center for Chemical Warfare**

"What do they do in there?" someone asked.

"Nothing good," Tycho Celchu replied.

"No," the intelligence officer agreed. "Nothing good. They're researching and testing chemical weapons. The facility is relatively new—and we should thank the Force for that. None of its products were used at Hoth. The High Command decided to take the facility out."

Wedge raised his hand. "Excuse me, Major Ors," he began, "But if I understand Imperial standards correctly, they would build that facility so it couldn't be vitally harmed by orbital bombardment. It could only be destroyed permanently from the ground. So what do you need us for?"

She looked at him carefully. "Who said your mission was to destroy it? We know all that, and we're going to send in a team of commandos—after you perform aerial reconnaissance for them."

"I see," Wedge said. "Why us? Do they have seven Star Destroyers in orbit around that planet?"

"No," Jan said. "They used to have one, but—this may sound preposterous to you, since you were at Hoth, but we're wearing the Empire down. The Rebellion is taking its toll. They have been forced to pull off the better ships off such garrison duty and throw them into the war against us. The garrisons' replacements—if they come—are, shall we say, below average? Older ships, substandard crews, incompetent officers. No, that's not why we asked you."

"Then why?"

"Because, while the fleet forces in the system are halfway in the junk heap, and need to be hauled the rest of the way, the 19th Corps and the 54th and 76th Fighter Groups are crack units. The fighters they use are the new TIE interceptors. You're the only unit that would have a chance to get close enough to get the kind of details on their defenses that we need."

"Thank you, Major. We'll take it from here." Wedge rose. "We'll need to get our fighters refitted for reconnaissance work. After we do that, we go to sleep. No late-night sabacc games—that means you, Wes. And not a drop of alcohol, either. Dismissed."


	21. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19.**

Harry had trained hard for Quidditch at Hogwarts, and had to keep himself fit in the Alliance military. But this was more tiring than anything he has ever been through. Master Yoda made him and Luke run through the jungle for what seemed like hundreds of miles. Halfway through, Yoda ordered Luke to take off the basket with him and give it to Harry. Now, the Jedi master rode on Harry's back and instructed them.

"Feel the Force, you must. Call on it. Help you it will," he said.

Harry breathed heavily. "Tired, are you?" Yoda snickered. "For use the Force, you did not. An ally of it make you must."

They arrived back at Yoda's hut. Harry lowered the Jedi Master and stretched himself.

"Take this," Yoda told him and handed him a lightsaber. It was a little longer than Luke's and had a handle of polished wood and silvery metal. Harry looked in question at his teacher.

Yoda released a silver ball that hovered in the air between him and Luke.

Harry ignited his lightsaber, revealing a bright yellow blade. Luke did the same, extending the shining column of blue light forward.

The two students stood ready. The ball fired the first laser bolt at Luke. He deflected it... right into Harry. He felt a wince of pain where the bolt hit.

"Harry, I'm sorry!" Luke cried. "Are you okay?"

The pain had already passed. Harry just felt humiliated. "Yeah."

"Again," Yoda instructed.

This time the bolt sped towards Harry. He swung his saber, but it was too late. The laser beam went past him.

Frustrated, Harry got back into a ready stance. Luke deflected the next two bolts, and Harry felt a ting of jealousy. So when the ball fired at him again, Harry was ready. He moved his blade... and missed. The bolt grazed his leg, giving him another painful shock.

Now, Harry was mad. He raised his lightsaber, determined to succeed this time.

"Relying on your eyes you are," Yoda said. Other senses you have. Use them. Blind Jedi I knew... and deaf ones, too. But Jedi they were."

Harry nodded. The next bolt was fired almost straight down. Harry and Luke both swung for it, but instead of intercepting the bolt, their lightsabers clashed. Harry and Luke stepped back.

"No, no," Yoda declared. "Do this will not. Competing you are. Work together you must." The Jedi master took the remote and strolled off. Harry and Luke shut off their blades.

"Sorry about that," Luke said.

"It's okay. I can't even hit the bolt, much less control where it bounces."

"I've just had more practice with this before. You'll do fine. Come on. I could eat a whole bantha by myself."

As they were eating, Harry asked the question that had bothered him for a long time. "Master Yoda, what is the connection between the... magic I know and what you're trying to teach us?"

"A connection there is, you think? Why, hmm?" The tips of Yoda's ears curled—the alien's equivalent of raising eyebrows.

"Well... not everyone can use the Force, right?"

"Wrong. From all of us, the Force flows. Not everyone a Jedi can become, true. But in all of us, the Force is. All life creates it... judges it not... Think not you must that superior you are..."

"I don't," Harry defended himself. "I just remembered that when we first arrived here, people from this world tried to do some of our magic. Luke and Princess Leia could... but not Han Solo. And I was thinking if there's a connection."

Luke jumped in. "But that'd mean Leia can be..."

"Can she? Do you know?" Harry asked.

Yoda closed his eyes and paused before answering.

"Ability she does have. But her own decisions will she make. Tell her this, you should not... yet. Distract her it will."

"But..."

"Little difference now will it make. Train three at once, I cannot."

Harry nodded. "So is there a connection?" he pressed.

"Tell you that, I will not. Learn for yourself, you should." Yoda left it at that.

Harry went back to his meal. The Jedi master could certainly be confusing. He couldn't help but smile a little when he thought about Yoda meeting Professor Dumbledore. He'd love to sit in on that conversation, though he doubted he'd understand any of it.

XXXXXXXX

Hermione was tired after she finished the work on her fighter, and headed straight for her quarters. But she was in for a surprise. There was another person there.

"Major Ors!" she exclaimed.

"Please. Jan," the other woman said.

"What're you doing here?"

"I've been assigned to these quarters. I knew I'd be sharing quarters, but I didn't know with whom."

"Oh. Well, it'll only be for one night."

Jan changed the subject. "What's it like being the only female in the squadron?"

"Huh? Well..."

"Any problems?"

"Not really. Sometimes, new members are skeptical of my abilities. That lasts till the first mission, no longer. And there had been other women in the unit at times. Why are you so concerned about it?"

"When I first joined the Alliance, I wanted to be a pilot. They denied me entrance, saying I wasn't good enough. I thought it was because I was a woman. A number of the Rebels, although they hate the Empire over Alderaan, or another atrocity, are former Imperial officers. These attitudes have been cultivated—they aren't going to be gone overnight."

"You no longer think that's why you were denied?"

"No. I improved my piloting, tried again, and was granted admission. By then, however, I was happy working in Intelligence, so I passed. But I thought Rogue Squadron, as an elite unit, might have been different in that regard."

Hermione remembered something. "Did you ever meet Ron Weasley?"

"I worked with him on one mission. He claimed to be a wizard... I had no choice but to believe him after what he did with that stick."

"A wand," Hermione corrected. "I can use it too." She showed her. "I actually don't belong in this world. Some sort of dimensional portal brought me and two of my friends in here. I mean, where I come from, we haven't been farther away from our homeworld than its moon."

"If you weren't born in this galaxy, that doesn't mean you don't belong. Where you belong is something you can only decide for yourself. I'd love to hear your story, but you need sleep before tomorrow's mission. You won't rest well by sleeping in your fighter."

"Don't I know it. Good night, Jan."

"Good night," Jan Ors shut out the lights. _Maybe I should have asked her about Wedge_, Hermione thought. _Oh, well. Some other time. _Then she fell asleep.

The next morning, the squadron assembled at the ship's hangar. "All right, people," Wedge said. "You know the drill. We come down, blow up a few squints, fire torpedoes at buildings, and take some pictures. In an out of hyperspace in ten minutes, fifteen max. We'll be gone before they could turn on their comm systems and call for help. Clear and simple. Understand?"

A chorus of affirmative replies echoed in the chamber. Jan stood up. "Your astromech droids have been programmed with rendezvous coordinates. I'll be waiting for you with the commando team there. May the Force be with you."

As Hermione got ready to take off, a slight worry passed over her. She ignored it; that was routine. Ready, Eichee?" she asked her astromech. The droid was officially designated R2-H8, but Hermione called it H.E., or house-elf. That's who these droids reminded her of, their hard work so often left unappreciated. During her time in this world, restraining bolts came close to the top of the list of things she hated.

"Hermione? Are you asleep?" Wedge's voice rang from her helmet headphones.

"Oh. Sorry. Rogue Eight, standing by," she said.

"All right," Wedge announced. "Next stop, Suran Minor."

One by one, the five X-wings disappeared into hyperspace. Hermione was the last to leave. _Clear and simple,_ Wedge said. _Yeah. That's the plan. When have things ever gone according to plan?_


	22. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20.**

They had nearly finished replacing the damaged parts. Ron held his wand to a joint between two metal tubes. "_Relashio!_" he said. Sparks emerged from his wand, and the piece was welded together. "Looks like that's it..." he said. Chewbacca nodded.

"Sir, if I may venture an opinion—" Threepio tried to tell Han.

"I'm not really interested in your opinions, Threepio," the smuggler replied, but then Leia ran in, frightened.

"There's something out there!" she shouted.

"Where?" Han demanded.

"Outside, in the cave."

They heard an impact on the ship's hull... and then another.

"I'm going out there," Han declared.

"Are you crazy?" Leia cried. Ron stood in silence. _We already know the answer to that, don't we?_

"I just got this bucket back together," Han stated flatly. "I'm not going to let something tear it apart." He picked up a breath mask.

"Then I'm going with you!" Leia said.

"Me, too," Ron agreed.

Han nodded, and turned towards the exit. There were only three masks, but Ron cast the bubble-head charm on himself. Threepio stood at the exit hatch.

"I think I'd better stay behind and guard the ship," he proclaimed. They heard another noise. "Oh, no..." the droid said.

Outside, there was little to see. "_Lumos!_" Ron lighted his wand. Even then, nothing was clear. The cave was full of strange mists.

"This ground sure feels strange," Leia commented. "It doesn't feel like rock."

"There's an awful lot of moisture in here," Han added.

"I don't know," Leia said. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"How bad?" Ron asked.

Before Leia could answer, Han fired his blaster at something. "Watch out!" he shouted to them. Then something fell right in front of them. It was a strange creature, with bat-like wings, but its head resembled nothing that Ron has ever seen.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Han told them. "Mynock. Check the rest of the ship make sure there aren't any more attached, chewing on the power cables."

Ron drew his wand and went around the ship, looking for more of the creatures. That they could consume raw energy from the ship worried him. He did not forget Hagrid's blast-ended skrewts.

"Mynocks?" Leia murmured.

"Go inside," Han told her. "We'll clean them off if there are any more."

Several of the creatures dropped on them. Han and Chewie both fired at them. "_Stupefy!_" Ron shouted, bringing another creature down.

"Wait a minute..." Han said.

Ron glanced at him. "Something wrong?"

Instead of answering, Han drew his blaster and fired at the floor of the cave. At that, the whole asteroid seemed to shake violently.

Chewie barked, but they didn't need prompting. They ran after Han back to the ship, ducking from another swarm of mynocks.

"Let's get out of here!" Han yelled as soon as they were aboard.

Leia tried to protest. "The Empire is still out there. I don't think it's wise to—"

Han cut her off. "No time to discuss this in committee!"

"I am not a committee!" she yelled, but Han ignored her.

Han took off and nearly collided with the wall of the cave he was desperately trying to escape.

"You can't make a jump to light-speed in this asteroid field," Leia tried again.

"Sit down, sweetheart, we're taking off!" Han was even more adamant than before. They were already in sight of the cave's opening.

"Look!" Threepio pointed.

"I see it, I see it," Han said.

Ron saw it too. And then... the opening of the cave began closing with enormous white rock protrusions about to make a zipper-like pattern.

Ron suddenly understood what was happening. "Oh, no!" he gasped.

"We're doomed!" Threepio declared.

"The cave is collapsing!" Leia shouted.

"This is no cave!" Han replied. Ron could only nod.

"What!" Leia screamed, but then the nature of the "cave" became apparent even to her. The _Falcon_ flew between two teeth about to crush it, and managed to evade the monster that tried, with surprising speed, to recapture them. They escaped back into the asteroid field.

"Just our luck," Ron said. "Why did we have to enter _that_ asteroid?"

"I think we have more urgent things to worry about," Leia suggested. "Look!"

XXXXXXXX

Luke was carrying Yoda on his back again. Harry was leading the way through the forest. He leaped over a large fallen tree trunk, at least seven feet high. "Yes," the Jedi master lectured. "A Jedi's strength flows from the Force... but beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression—the dark side of the force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will—as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice."

Harry realized who Yoda was talking about. He looked at Luke, who also nodded. "Vader," Luke said.

Harry thought about Voldemort. It was easy to think that he'd always been evil... but was it so? And even if it was, he knew that Voldemort's followers were not. And Yoda was saying that everybody—including him and Luke—could become like that. Harry gulped.

"Master Yoda," Luke asked, "Is the dark side stronger?"

"No," Yoda replied. "Quicker, easier, more seductive."

"But how am I to know the good side from the bad?" Luke was confused.

"You will know. When you are calm... at peace... passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack."

"But tell me why—"

"No, no, there is no why. Nothing more will I teach you today. Clear your mind of questions."

Luke lowered the Jedi master and went to get dressed. Harry tried to relax, but couldn't. His scar tingled for some reason.

"Something doesn't feel right," Luke whispered. "I feel cold... death."

"That place," Yoda pointed at a dark hole at the roots of a large tree, "Is strong with the dark side. A domain of evil it is. In you must go."

"What's in there?" Luke asked.

"Only what you take with you," Yoda replied.

Harry didn't understand, and it looked like Luke didn't either. Understand or not, Luke headed for the cave.

"Your weapons," Yoda told him. "You will not need them."

Luke stood for a moment, then put on the belt anyway. Harry tried to follow him, but Yoda stopped him.

"_This, _alone he must do. Time for you to go in will come." Then Yoda reached out and touched his scar. "The dark side has touched you here," he said. "Influence it has, does it not?"

"Yes..." Harry answered. "Dark wizards, dark powers—even that cave—make it hurt. Voldemort's presence is especially painful."

"Beckons you the dark side," Yoda explained. "Seduces you. Tells you, pain will stop if you join."

"What? Is that what it is?" Harry was incredulous.

"Yes. Learn to control this pain you must, or seduced by the dark side you will be."

Yoda touched his mind for a moment. Harry felt a wave of relaxation come over him. He breathed, and concentrated on banishing the pain. It wasn't easy. Harry had to start over several times, relaxing and trying to put a shield of the Force around him. Finally, he noticed that there was no pain anymore. He opened his eyes and looked at Yoda. The Jedi master was sitting at his own meditation. Luke just sat, leaning against a tree.

"Control your pain, you do," Yoda said. "But practice more, you must." Harry looked at Luke who was still shaking a little. Then he clutched his scar. The pain returned.

Yoda saw it. "Control, you must learn control," he instructed. "Not easy. Not fast. Come," he motioned, "Nothing more for today." With that, he led the way back to the hut.

"Ask not what seen he has in the cave," Yoda told Harry. "At least not till you yourself in there has been." Harry could only nod. Jedi training was more difficult, and more confusing, than anything he has been through at Hogwarts.


	23. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21.**

Things began to go wrong before they got out of light-speed. Or, more precisely, Hermione's brain screamed 'DANGER!' when she started to get ready to emerge in the Suran system. She tensed, clutching her control stick.

"Eichee, do you detect anything?" she asked her droid.

The beep was affirmative. "What!" she demanded, but then her fighter lurched unexpectedly and she was thrown to the side. The straps tightened. She looked around. Space around her was full of TIE fighters, and on her left flank was a giant ship, looking like a Star Destroyer, except for the four enormous globes embedded in its hull.

An Interdictor Cruiser. Hermione heard about these new warships the Empire developed, but this was the first time she had actually seen one.

"Rogue Leader, this is Rogue Eight," she called in. "I came out of hyperspace. No damage. Yet."

"Check, Rogue Eight," Wedge replied. Everyone's present. Here they come!"

A formation of TIE fighters was approaching them. Suddenly, a voice came through on an open frequency. "Attention, Rebels! This is Admiral Thrawn. Surrender now, and you will not be harmed."

"We don't know what 'surrender' means, _Admiral_," Wedge spat. "Care to explain?" He switched the channel. "Rogues, block the non-squadron frequencies. They're trying to distract us." With that he opened fire and took out the lead craft in the approaching formation.

Hermione also destroyed one fighter and then had to make a sharp turn to avoid collision with another. They barely missed each other. "I'm all right," she said.

"Turn around and regroup," Wedge ordered. Hermione banked and took her position. Eight TIEs were heading towards them.

Hermione opened fire first, taking out one Imperial. The enemy formation broke, but not before two other fighters turned into plasma.

"Rogue Eight," Tycho told her, "You've picked one up."

Hermione already saw him, and was dodging the fire. Her shields were still strong. Tycho got behind her and took out the enemy.

"Thanks, Tycho," she said.

Meanwhile, Hobbie and Wedge each destroyed a fighter of their own. Wedge was pleased. "Only two left." And those two fighters, Hermione saw, were heading back to the cruiser.

Wes cut in. "Uh, boss, that's not quite true. Look!" Hermione saw it. A much larger swarm of TIEs was heading their way. Hermione saw now what happened. The TIE squadrons were spread out, and while they battle the one that was closest, the rest gathered up. "Looks like five squadrons, boss," Hobbie said.

_Five!_ They were outnumbered more then ten to one. "Sithspit!" Wedge swore. "All right. Chain reaction."

"Boss?" Wes inquired.

"Chain reaction," Wedge repeated. "Hermione first, then you, Hobbie, Tycho, and myself at the end."

"Got it, Rogue Leader," Hermione acknowledged. "Standing by."

"Now!" Wedge commanded. Hermione fired two proton torpedoes on divergent courses and made a U-turn. The other pilots did the same, but she saw that the desired effect would not be reached. The TIE pursuit group was already breaking up.

The torpedoes, one after another, found targets and detonated, each one taking out two or even three fighters. But most of the enemy craft, at least thirty, survived and resumed their chase. The trick could not be repeated. They had no more surprise... and no more torpedoes.

"Chain reaction" was a tactic developed specifically to destroy large groups of fighters. You fired proton torpedoes in sequence, with delayed activation fuses, while flying towards the enemy. When the torpedoes sought out targets, the enemy craft would find themselves under attack from within the formation. _It should have worked,_ thought Hermione. _How could they have known to break up that soon? It's like they knew exactly what we had in mind._

"Head for the Imperial base," Wedge ordered. "Get to the surface."

"Are you out of—" Tycho tried to say something, but was cut off.

"That's an order!" Wedge bellowed.

_What's he thinking? _Hermione's mind was racing. _Belay that, **is**__he thinking?_ But she felt like she should trust him here. She followed Wedge's fighter towards the planet.

"Put all power into your shields," Wedge said. "We want to get into the lower atmosphere quickly, but burning up isn't a good idea."

"Right," Hermione responded. She maximized the shields power. She saw at least part of what Wedge intended. X-wings were better than TIEs in atmospheric flight, and, because of shields, could descend faster.

The pursuit was left behind. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "Uh, Rogue Eight," Tycho called out, "that's a bit premature. Take a look."

Hermione already saw it. TIE interceptors from the base have been scrambled and headed towards them. These ships were FAST. Hermione barely had time to dodge their first bolts before the Imperials were among them. Wedge was the only one who managed to get one on that pass, but when she turned her ship, she saw he was in trouble. "Wedge," she called, "You've got one on your tail. Hang on." She got behind him and fired even before her computer got a lock. The TIE exploded.

Wedge thanked her. "Good shot, Rogue Eight. Now," he ordered the rest of the group, "Turn on your cameras and head for the base."

"You still going through with the mission?" Wes asked.

"We won't get another chance," Wedge replied.

The squadron regrouped and headed towards the complex that, according to Intelligence, was a chemical weapons lab. They already activated the cameras when Tycho cut in. "More squints, eighty degrees high."

"Got it," Wedge answered. "Attack pattern sigma." They had no time to even think about it. The base's ground defenses opened up, and they had to evade bolts from the ground. Wedge immediately changed his orders. "Get away from here," he said. "We can't—" At that moment, Hermione's fighter shook and she lost control. The X-wing plummeted to the ground.

"Wedge!" she shouted. No reply. "Tycho? Wes? Hobbie?" Also nothing. She looked at her displays. They were blank. She nodded to herself. She's been hit with an ion cannon, similar to the one Rebels used on Hoth. "Eichee?" she asked, mostly to confirm the guess. The response was silence.

XXXXXXXX

The Imperial Star Destroyer was within range. It opened fire, and Han managed to dodge several bolts. But then, as he turned to run, the _Falcon_ was hit. Regaining control, Han tried to speed away, but the enemy ship gave chase.

The asteroids started occurring less frequently, and soon disappeared altogether. "Good," Han said. "Stand by for light-speed." He pulled the throttle.

Like before, the result was nonexistent.

"It's not fair!" Han nearly whined.

"NO!" Ron screamed. This was too much. Chewbacca gave a series of frantic grounds indicating he agreed.

"The transfer circuits are working. It's not my fault!" Han yelled.

"No light-speed?" Leia's question was rhetorical.

"It's not my fault," Han almost apologized.

"Great," Ron looked at the pilot. "What else could go wrong?"

"Sir," Threepio intoned, "We've just lost the rear deflector shields. One more direct hit on the back quarter and we're done for."

"I had to ask," Ron closed his eyes.

Han wasn't listening. "Turn her around," he said.

Chewie barked. "I said turn her around!" Han repeated the order. "I'm going to put all power in the front shield.

"You're going to attack them?" Leia screamed.

"Attack!" Ron was shocked.

"Sir," Threepio pleaded, "The odds of surviving a direct assault on an Imperial Star Destroyer—"

"Shut up!" Leia yelled at the robot.

The _Falcon_ darted straight towards the bridge tower of the huge ship. For a moment, Ron actually saw the stunned faces of Imperial officers through the viewports. The freighter went over the warship and made a "landing" on the back of the central tower. Han activated the magnetic clamps to keep the ship put. Then he began shutting down systems, as if this was something routine. Ron had to admit, Han had a tendency to pull out of the most hopeless situations imaginable.

"That," he told the smuggler, "Was brilliant."

"All in a day's work, kid," Han replied, but he did sound pleased at the praise.

"What now?" Leia demanded.

"Now," Han emphasized his answer, "We wait."

"For what?" Ron asked, remembering how Harry said the same thing when they were in a cell on the Death Star with Leia.

"Until they decide we jumped into hyperspace, and go to search elsewhere. Trust me. They won't find us here."


	24. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22.**

Harry and Luke stood on their hands, maintaining balance. While it was very difficult to raise oneself into this position, Harry needed almost no effort to maintain it—just concentration. Yoda stood on Luke's feet. They raised their hands and put fingertips in contact. Both of them focused on a nearby rock and tried to lift it.

"Master Yoda, why do I need this?" Harry asked. "I can already lift objects with the hovering charm."

Yoda jumped from Luke's feet onto Harry's, and Harry barely managed to keep his balance. "Suppose someone away takes your wand. What then will you do, hmm? A Jedi relies not on implements."

Artoo rolled up and chirped. Harry saw Luke collapse, and then lost his own control. Yoda jumped off and scowled at his students.

"Oh, Artoo, what is it?" Luke asked in frustration.

The droid beeped and led them through the swamp. There, Harry saw a tip of a nose of an X-wing sinking beneath the murky water.

"Oh, no," Luke said. "We'll never get it out now."

"So certain are you?" Yoda demanded. "Always with you it cannot be done. Hear you nothing that I say?"

Harry raised his eyebrows. Yoda wanted Luke to lift the fighter out with the Force?

"Master," Luke tried to defend himself, "Moving stones around is one thing. This is totally different."

"No!" Yoda retorted. "No different! Only different in your mind! You must unlearn what you have learned."

"All right," Luke agreed. "I'll give it a try."

Again, Yoda was unhappy. "No. Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try."

Harry didn't see how lifting a whole starfighter would be possible. Even with the hovering charm he didn't think—he, forget it, even Professor Dumbledore couldn't have done it. Luke stepped forward and raised his arm.

Water began to bubble and a small piece of the fighter began to appear above the water. Then it sank back. Luke was covered in sweat, out of breath. Harry decided to make his own attempt. He had no idea whether his own fighter was functional, and they needed at least one working ship. This was too important. He got out his wand.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_" he said.

Once again, the fighter began to rise. Harry was putting more and more energy into the spell until... he collapsed, exhausted, just like Luke. The ship sank back into the swamp.

"It's just too big," he whispered.

"Size matters not," Yoda replied. Judge me by my size, do you?" Harry and Luke both shook their heads.

"And well you should not. For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it... makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us... and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter," he shook Luke's arm. "When an ally of yours it is, implements need you will not," he looked at Harry. "Known this, you should have. Power not in the wand lies, nor in the words of the spell control. In the Force both are. Find them in the Force you must. Feel it you must around you. Here, between you... me... the tree... the rock... everywhere! Yes, even between the land and that ship!"

"You want the impossible," Luke complained.

Instead of replying, Yoda raised his clawed hand... and the X-wing rose out of the swamp, righted itself, and flew, without power, towards them. It gently landed on sold ground nearby. Yoda did not appear tired at all.

"I don't..." Luke gasped, "I don't believe it." Harry couldn't find anything to say.

"That," Yoda emphasized, "Is why you fail."

Harry walked off, thinking about what he'd missed, and whether there was some way that he or Luke could have lifted the ship out.

XXXXXXXX

Hermione looked up and saw another X-wing falling, although it appeared to have some control. She looked down and yelped. The ground was approaching incredibly fast. "Don't panic," she told herself. She knew there was still a chance to survive. One system on the fighter had no electronic components and would work now. Ejection.

She pulled the lever about two hundred feet above the planet's surface. The cockpit top separated and flew off, and her seat blasted out of the fighter. Pain shot through her at the sudden acceleration with no compensation. She drew her wand and got ready. Righting her seat, she fired its jets to slow down her fall. It worked, but the engines burned through their fuel before she reached the ground. Falling from thirty feet, she put all her energy into the spell. "_Reducto!_" she shouted, hoping the banishing charm would cushion her fall.

She didn't know whether the spell worked or if she just got lucky. The seat crashed onto concrete, and despite the pain, she quickly released her straps and stood up. Every move hurt, but nothing seemed to be broken. She was close to the edge of the forest, but that wouldn't help. In the distance, she saw stormtroopers running towards her. She knew she would have trouble outrunning them even under the best of conditions.

The other downed X-wing crash-landed nearby. Its laser cannons pointed at the stormtroopers and opened fire. The Imperials scattered. The cockpit of the fighter blew open and Wedge leaped out. He ran up to her.

"Hermione? Are you okay?"

"As okay as possible," she answered laconically.

"There!" Wedge pointed to a nearby building and ran there. Hermione, dazed, followed.

Behind them, Wedge's fighter exploded. "I've set it to self-destruct," he explained.

A stormtrooper stood up when they ran in. "Hey, what're—" he started but Wedge shot him. Hermione's heart leaped. There were speeder bikes in this building.

"Can you handle these?" Wedge asked.

"Yes."

"Then let's go."

"One moment," Hermione said, drawing her wand. She picked a bike, then aimed at the rest. "_Reducto!_" The speeder bikes flew into the hangar wall, some breaking into pieces.

"Good thinking. Follow me!" Wedge and Hermione speeded past the stormtroopers that just approached the hangar and flew into the forest.

Hermione even forgot about her pain, since maneuvering between trees took all her concentration. "Wedge? Where're we going?" She called out.

"Away from here," he replied. "Watch out!"

A blaster bolt flew by from behind. She glanced. Four stormtroopers on speeder bikes were after them.

Before she could say anything, Wedge gutted his engines and she rushed past him. She had no time to be shocked, however. The enemy kept shooting at her, and even scored a hit—fortunately, not getting anything vital. She went back to the piloting. _Wedge seems to know what he's doing. Unlike me._

She looked back sand saw only one stormtrooper. "_Stupefy!_" she shouted, and knocked him out. The bike, without control, crashed into a tree and exploded.

Hermione felt relieved, but then a blaster bolt nearly hit her from the left. She saw another speeder descending towards her. She looked to the right and saw the same thing. The stormtroopers both held small pistols and shot at her from both sides, all the while coming closer. _They're trying to box me in_, she realized.

Then the speeder bike on her right blew apart and was replaced with another, with Wedge atop it. "Hermione!" he yelled, firing his blaster at the remaining stormtrooper. "Jump!" He motioned her to get behind him. She felt her bike rock, and herself hit by something on the back. The stormtrooper leaped onto her bike. She pushed off, and grabbed the back of Wedge's speeder.

And couldn't make it all the way. The stormtrooper was tightly holding her legs, while she held on to Wedge's bike. Ground below her raced at at least a hundred miles per hour. The Imperial tried to pull away, and she didn't think she could hold on.

"Wedge!" she screamed. The pilot saw it and reached out. She took a risk and let

go with one hand to take Wedge's.

Then her other hand slipped. Hermione yelled out in terror, but Wedge already tightened his grip. Hermione became the rope in a tug-of-war between him and the stormtrooper. She actually smiled at that thought. _Here, the rope is extremely biased_.

She kicked at the stormtrooper, at the same time pulling up on Wedge. Not expecting this, the Imperial let go. Wedge yanked her up, tightly wrapped his arms around her, and tumbled off the speeder, just before it impacted on an enormous tree trunk and turned into flames. A second later, another explosion signaled that the stormtrooper met the same fate.

"Come on," Wedge pulled Hermione up. "We're not clear yet."

She followed, leaning on him. They descended to the bank of a river. "Can you swim?" he asked. She nodded, then remembered something.

"One moment. Wedge, your blaster." He handed it over with a puzzled look. She drew he wand. "_Impervius!_" she said. "It will not be damaged by the water."

"Thanks," Wedge stepped into the river. Hermione joined him. Swimming in a flight suit, and especially in boots, was difficult. When, at least two miles downstream, they came to the other side, Hermione was about to collapse. Still, she somehow managed to make it to a huge tree, under which Wedge chose to stop. She lay down.

"Wedge," she had to struggle to say. "Thank you. I don't know how many times you saved my life today. And that last time… If it was just a bit later, _you_ would have died. You could have let go…"

Wedge leaned over her, looking into her eyes. "No. No, I couldn't have."

"Wedge…" Hermione started, but then sleep overtook her.


	25. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23.**

Two remotes hovered between Luke and Harry. The trainees readied their lightsabers. Yoda nodded, and the droids opened fire.

For a while, things went well enough. Luke and Harry anticipated each other's moves and managed to deflect the bolts away. Then the remotes started increasing their rate of fire. The Jedi students frantically swung their lightsabers, trying to keep up. But it was just too much. Stun bolts peppered them. Yoda did not look happy.

"Feel the Force, you must," he said. "Open yourselves to it."

Luke nodded. They lit up their blades and got ready. The remotes fired. Harry and Luke deflected the bolts for as long as they could, and then, without agreement, tightly gripped their sabers and charged. Yoda immediately retracted the droids.

"No, no," he said. "To anger, you yourselves opened."

"What?" Harry didn't understand.

"Anger... the dark side of the Force you tried to use. Win you might have... but heavy burden that power is."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused.

"Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. Easy to tread the dark path is... Anger and fear will propel you along. Again," he instructed. "Calm, at peace you must be. Let anger join you you must not."

Harry tried to relax. He reached out with the Force and contacted Luke's mind, opening himself up. He didn't even have to open his eyes. His saber almost moved by itself, deflecting the bolt. Luke did the same thing with the shot from the other remote. The droids again started firing more rapidly. The Jedi trainees kept up. Harry felt like he knew where the bolts would strike before the droids' computers did—which made no sense at all, since the droids were supposed to fire randomly.

Finally, the remotes reached their maximum firing rate. Harry began to hope that the exercise was complete. Then a stun bolt hit him, and he opened his eyes. Yoda released two additional seekers. The four remotes hovered in the air between the students. Harry gasped.

Luke raised his saber. "Ready?" he asked.

Harry nodded, although he was uncertain if he could hold out against four remotes for even a second. Still he took a ready stance. Yoda motioned. The bolts began to fly.

Very soon, Harry felt he couldn't keep up. He managed to avoid getting hit, but he couldn't block all the bolts either. He just let them fly by. And the remotes were still not firing at their maximum rate. Harry had to put more and more effort into the fight. It was draining him.

Suddenly he got an idea. Touching Luke's mind, he tried to communicate it. Luke raised his eyebrow, but Harry felt that he understood. He began moving towards the other student.

When they got close enough to reach each other with their blades they took positions so that each of them could block bolts aimed for the other's backside. Doing so, they kept closing up, until they stood with backs to each other, each covering a semicircle with his blade. Now, they didn't have to worry about deflecting bolts into each other. After a minute more of this, Yoda stopped the droids.

Harry wiped the sweat off his forehead. They both looked at the Jedi Master. Yoda said nothing, but he didn't complain. Harry decided it meant there was an improvement.

"We made a good team," he told Luke.

"Yes," Luke agreed. "But..."

"What?"

Luke's question was addressed to Master Yoda. "Well, it's easy not to feel anger at the remotes," Luke said. "It will be harder against a live opponent."

"Yes," Yoda said. "Difficult to control anger is. Do it you must, or work together you be able to will not. Weaker by yourselves you are. Easier prey for the dark side. Come," Yoda beckoned them, "Meditate, we have to."

XXXXXXXX

Hermione woke up with the sun shining brightly into her eyes. She felt refreshed, and most of her pain subsided. She sat up. The flight suit fell away and realized she was wearing nothing.

"Wedge! You took my clothes off!"

"I'm sorry, but I had to see if everything was all right," the pilot apologized. "You had some serious bruises that had to be treated."

"I'm going to kill you!" She reached for her wand.

"I don't really think you want to do that," Wedge said, standing with his back to her. "But if you insist..." His blaster landed in front of her. _That_ was something she didn't expect.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"You don't really want to kill me, do you?"

"Why not? And turn around!"

"Do you really want me to?"

That brought Hermione to her senses. "No," she said slowly, and began to get dressed. _I probably **did** need help_, she thought, and then her anger came back. _That still doesn't give him the right—_"

But he did take care of her. And he wasn't looking at her now. That was something.

"Can I look now?" he said.

_He is uncomfortable,_ she sensed. But she already finished putting on her tunic. "It's okay. Don't you—" she began.

Wedge cut her off. "No, Hermione. If something like this happens again, I'll do the same thing. And anyone else around, if he's got a brain that's half-functional, will do the same thing. Your life comes before any sense of decency."

Hermione nodded, but Wedge continued. "If you think I would take advantage like that of a sleeping, battered, exhausted woman, maybe you should reconsider our friendship. Sith, if _you_ think I would do that, maybe I should reconsider our friendship."

"Wedge…" she stammered. He just looked at her. _Thinking like that **is** an insult to him,_ she realized. "It's okay."

"Let's put that behind us," he said. Underneath their flight suits Rebel pilots were simple tunics and pants. Hers and Wedge's were black—not ideal, but certainly less conspicuous in this forest than white and orange flight suits. She carefully folded hers, and put it next to Wedge's.

Wedge sat next to her. "You want to ask me something," he noted.

"Yes. What happened to the rest of the squadron?"

"I believe they got away."

"They left us?"

"I ordered them to. I said they couldn't rescue us if they got shot down themselves. They'll find us. Our job is to make sure they find us alive."

"How long?"

"I don't know. Could be days… or weeks. We have to last however long it takes. You hungry?"

She was, but because of all the other things on her mind, she only noticed it now. "Yes. And thirsty."

"Well, there's a spring right there," Wedge pointed to a stream of water coming out of a slope of a hill. As long as we stay next to that river, water won't be a problem."

"How can you say that? Didn't Jan say the Empire tests chemical weapons here?"

"Don't worry, I've tested it. It's quite safe."

"What about food?"

"Well, that's the more troublesome part. Here," he handed her a ration bar. She bit into it. "We have enough supplies for three days—five if we really stretch them. After that—"

"Can't we hunt?"

"I don't know. I didn't see any animals around. I could probably scrounge up something to fish with. But, there are two problems with that.

"What?"

Wedge took out his blaster. "I have no spare ammunition," he said. "This thing's good for seventy-five shots, and then I'll have to throw it to hit anything. And using that up for hunting is a bad idea five kilometers from fifty thousand stormtroopers looking for you."

"And the second problem?"

"Are you prepared to eat raw meat? I'm not going to risk lighting a fire to signal the imperials."

"That shouldn't be a problem. I can create a smokeless fire with magic. As long as we light it during the day, we'll be okay."

"That's good. Now, we should get moving."

Hermione nodded. Staying in one place was a sure way to get caught.

"You should activate your emergency transmitter," Wedge told her.

"Oh. Yeah." Hermione remembered. The emergency transmitter fired coded ten-second bursts of information at random times, once every twenty-four standard hours. If one looked for it specifically, it would be immediately detected. If one didn't, it was another burst of static. This was the Alliance's solution to being able to tell your friends where you were without giving the same information to your enemies.

"One second," she said. "Wedge, our flight suits—what did you plan to do with them?"

"Tie them to a big rock and throw into the river."

"I've got a better idea. _Reducio!_" The suits shrank, and Hermione put both of them in her pocket.

"That could come in handy," Wedge commented.

"Yeah. Let's go." She looked around and headed after Wedge. "One more thing. How long have I been asleep?"

"The afternoon we landed, the night, and most of the morning. Eighteen hours."

"Did you get any?"

"No. I'll make it up by having you stand guard tonight." He smiled at her. She grinned back, and they headed through the forest.


	26. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24.**

Harry carried Yoda's on his back, heading back where he left R5-Q7 and his damaged fighter. They exited the forest and saw the ship standing at the edge of the cliff. CueSeven was standing there. He greeted them with a chirp. Then he and Artoo began an excited exchange of beeps.

Harry, Luke, and Yoda headed for the cliff. The place wasn't as misty as it was when Harry arrived, but they still couldn't see the bottom.

"Reach out with the Force," Yoda said. "Let it flow."

Harry sat down on the edge and stretched out. And then he SAW.

It was the strangest experience—as if he had left his body and roamed at will... In his mind, he plunged through the ravine. At first, he saw nothing but fog, but then details emerged. Tips of trees... branches... flying creatures. He continued down... further down. His vision was so complete that he registered not just sight and sound, but smell as well. He stopped descent above the surface of a large river. Despite the darkness, he knew where everything was. He proceeded, descending in his vision into the water and sinking. He saw water plants, fish, and other strange lifeforms. They ignored him, and he ignored them—although it was disquieting to have the fish swim _through_ him. He reached the bottom and smiled. Right in front of him was the broken wing of his fighter.

Harry tried to lift the metal part. It was too heavy. Harry felt sweat emerge from the skin on his forehead, and he dropped the wing. It sank back to the bottom.

He remembered what master Yoda taught him. But _this_ was how he lifted rocks and other small objects... and Yoda said that size didn't matter. But Harry still didn't think he could do it... it was too heavy and too far away.

Then it dawned on him, and he cursed himself for not realizing it earlier... much earlier, when Luke tried to raise _his_ X-wing. _Work together, you must_, Yoda said.

"Luke," Harry called, "Help me." He extended his hand and Luke gripped it. Contacting Luke's mind at the same time, he tried to give his friend the location of the wing. Luke sent him a mental nod. They jointly made an effort... and the wing rose through the water, through the air... up, up the entire depth of the canyon...

When Harry and Luke opened their eyes, the wing was lying next to Harry's starfighter, and the droids were scanning it with their tools. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Yoda. For a brief moment, the Jedi master was smiling.

While the droids were working on Harry's X-wing, Luke and Harry practiced their lightsaber technique. Now that they could fight four remotes, Yoda gave them a new exercise. Harry stood about thirty feet from Luke. "You ready?" he called.

"Yeah," Luke raised and ignited his blade. Harry did the same. One remote hovered between them. Yoda nodded and motioned the seeker.

It fired one bolt at Harry and scooted out of the way. Harry deflected back at Luke. Luke blocked, sending the bolt back towards Harry. The two students hit the bolt back and fourth, playing a Jedi version of tennis—except the objective was the opposite of tennis: their goal was to keep the rally going as long as they could. Yoda said that true Jedi masters could keep going at it for almost an hour, until, since each it drained a little energy from the bolt, it disappeared entirely. Harry and Luke still didn't manage to exceed a minute.

The exercise, while fun, was exhausting. And Yoda wouldn't let them just stand where they were. They had to slowly approach each other, keeping up the rally. Yoda told them that Jedi could keep several bolts going between them at once. Harry could not imagine how that was possible.

"Damn!" he swore as he hit the laser blast too far for Luke to reach.

"Control," Yoda lectured. "You must learn control."

CueSeven rolled up to Harry and whistled. "You're done?" he asked. The droid beeped affirmatively. "Good. I'll see you back at the camp," he told the others. Luke nodded, put on the basket with Yoda in it, and headed into the forest. Harry lowered CueSeven into the fighter and got in the cockpit. He fired up the repulsors. The craft gently lifted off.

"It's working!" he shouted to himself. The droid gave a happy chirp.

Harry spent about an hour testing various systems. He flew in orbit around Dagobah, and even made a few short jumps to test the hyperdrive. Finally, before he headed back to Yoda's hut, he fired laser cannons several times. The fighter was in good working order. Pleased that at least that wouldn't present a problem, he headed to the camp.

XXXXXXXX

"They're breaking up," Ron said.

"Chewie, go back and stand by the manual release for the landing claw," Han ordered.

"I really don't see how that's going to help," Threepio complained. "Surrender is a perfectly acceptable alternative in extreme circumstances. The Empire may be gracious enough to—" Leia flipped a switch in the back of Threepio's head, turning the droid off.

"Thank you," Han said, relieved.

"What did you have in mind for your next move?" Leia asked

"Well, if they follow standard Imperial procedure, they'll dump their garbage before they go to light-speed, then we just float away."

"Like the rest of the garbage," Leia commented. "Then what?"

"Then we've got to find a safe port somewhere around here. Got any ideas?"

"No," Ron admitted.

Leia was more encouraging. "Where are we?" she asked.

"Anoat system," Han said.

"Anoat system. There's not much there." Leia murmured.

"No..." But then Han got more interested. "Well, wait... Lando?"

Leia looked at him skeptically. "Lando system?"

"Lando's not a system, he's a man. Lando Calrissian. He's a card player, gambler... scoundrel. You'd like him."

"Thanks..." Leia's sarcasm rang hollow.

"Bespin," Han said. "It's pretty far, but I think we can make it."

"A mining colony?" Leia glanced at the information.

"Yeah, Tibanna gas mines. Lando conned somebody out of it. We go back a long way, Lando and me."

"Is this another of your 'acquaintances' that always end up trying to kill us?" Ron demanded.

"No," Han defended himself. "He's got no love for the Empire, I can tell you that."

"Chewbacca growl came over at the intercom. Han nodded. "Here we go, Chewie. Stand by. Detach!"

The _Falcon_ was left among the debris dumped by the Imperial warship. "Garbage..." Ron muttered to himself. "Who'd have believed it?"

"You have your moments," Leia kissed Han. "Not many, but you do have them."

Remembering Harry's advice, Ron excused himself to go see Chewbacca.

None of them noticed the other ship that remained in the system.


	27. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25.**

Hermione thought she was prepared for anything. She was wrong. She thought the journey would be difficult, maybe even dangerous. She was ready for that. She was not ready for how boring it would be. She used the four-point spell several times a day to make sure they weren't walking in circles. Every day, the sun rose ahead of them, and set behind. The river was always to their left, and flowed in the same direction as they headed. But despite all that, everything around them looked the same. Trees, trees, all of the same species, similar to a maple, but much larger. No clearings, no hills, nothing. The only interruptions were small creeks they had to wade across, flowing into the river. It has been seventeen local days—which were a bit shorter than standard days—since they arrived. Since they walked at least ten miles a day, Hermione figured they were almost two hundred miles from where thy started—but it looked _exactly _like it did there.

They tried to hunt, but failing to find any animals or birds, they gave up wasting time and energy. They ate mostly nuts from a shrub that grew everywhere, like the maple-like tree, in this forest. They also caught fish from the river... well, at least the creatures looked somewhat like fish, although they had three eyes, purple or blue scales, and propelled themselves by water jets. But they tasted good... at first. Having no cooking utensils and no additives of any sort, they couldn't vary the flavor. Hermione was sick of "fish", of nuts, and most sick of looking at trees. At least Wedge was good company. _If I were alone, I'd be insane by now_. _No_, a voice in her head told her, _if you were alone, you'd be dead by now._ She wasn't sure which would be worse.

To alleviate boredom, every night, they would tell each other stories about what they did before they met. Hermione was worried they were going to run out of such stories before a rescue party came. Fortunately, today was Wedge's turn.

"How do you know Nelir?" she asked, casually.

"I was going to tell something else, but if you want to know..."

"Well?"

"Her full name is Nelir Gelaph," he began. "She was born on Coruscant, where her parents worked under a contract for the Republic government. They were killed towards the end of the Clone Wars. Things were happening fast back then, and the Emperor already moved against Coruscant's non-human population when she found out. She lost her job, and what little money she had saved up could only get her as far as Corellia."

"And you met her there?"

"Yes. She was a talented starship engineer, but Corellian companies wouldn't hire her. So she worked as a mechanic at my father's fueling station."

"Why wouldn't they hire her?"

"There's a lot of discrimination on Corellia... not so much specifically against non-humans, like the Empire, but against all non-Corellians, human or otherwise."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "That's odd. The Corellians I've met—"

Wedge smiled at her. "The Corellians you've met," he said, "All have one thing in common. They left Corellia. Voluntarily."

"Uh-huh."

"I am not that eager to return, either. There isn't anyone for me to return to. That's why I left in the first place." He stared off into the distance.

Hermione didn't press him further. "So Nelir couldn't get a job anywhere except your father's station."

"I wouldn't go that far. There were many other small establishments that wouldn't have cared what world she was from. But none of the big companies. Essentially, they didn't trust her not to make off with their secrets. And it happened on a local level as well. Once, when I was ten, I remember how she came into the shop in tears. She was arrested and had to pay a fine because—get this—someone thought she smelled bad."

"I didn't notice her smell at all."

"I did, when I met her, but I actually liked it. And I got used to it. And do you know what my father told her then?"

"What?"

"That whoever did that should have seen a doctor about his nose. Those were his exact words. And then he paid her back the fine. Then, when she went home, he told me to remember that incident if I ever felt the temptation to judge someone by how they smelled... or looked, or sounded."

"Did you ever find out who hauled Nelir in?"

"No, I never bothered. My father always said it was petty, and wouldn't do Nelir any good. And then, about a year before my parents were killed, she left us. She said she saved enough money and would go back to Mon Calamari."

"It took her that long?"

"There weren't—still aren't—commercial transports to Calamari. The Empire forbid them. She had to hire a private ship."

Hermione smiled. "Han Solo, before his rehabilitation?"

"Worse. The guy was a part-time space pirate who decided to join in a heist while she was aboard. He was killed, and Nelir was captured by the ship's security force and essentially condemned to slavery for life—technically, she had to work off the value of the loot her pilot's partners made off with. No one believed her story, of course."

"So what happened?"

"For a while, the Alliance used the ship she was on as a meeting point for agents—passing information about future raids, holos of Imperial atrocities, the like. When we get back, you should ask Major Ors, if you get the chance. She was deep into that. Agents record such meetings, and one review tape that I saw captured her image in the background. I immediately knew it was her."

"So what did you do?"

"That part was simple. I just booked passage on the liner and made contact with Nelir. She sabotaged the ship to take us out of hyperspace in the middle of nowhere, and I left in one of the ship's shuttles and took her along."

"You stole a shuttle?"

"I have no qualms about that. The captain of that ship approved enslaving Nelir. As far as I'm concerned, he didn't get a tenth of what he deserved."

"That explains a lot..."

"What?"

"Well, when I met her, Nelir seemed somewhat..."

"Reserved?" Wedge offered.

"Yes, that's it."

"I know, it's not an easy thing to witness. She lost so many friends in the war that she's afraid to make new ones."

"I hope she'll make an exception for me."

"I think she will." He put his arm around her. She didn't resist it. Instead, she just sat there, looking at the night sky, thinking about what Wedge said... and about Wedge himself. She always liked Wedge as a friend, but... would there be more to their relationship than simple friendship? Could there be? _Should _there be? She shook her head. _Such thoughts are best left till morning_. She stood up.

"We should sleep. You're standing first watch tonight, Wedge?" She prepared to lie down.

"Yes."

"Good. Wake me up in four hours."

"I will. Good night, Hermione."

"Good night, Wedge."

XXXXXXXX

When Harry landed, Yoda and Luke were preparing another exercise involving standing upside down. But he felt that he had to something else...

"Master Yoda," he asked, "May I—"

"Forbidden you, I have not. Always, you may have. To do or do not, decide for yourself you must."

Harry nodded, took his lightsaber, and headed into the forest. Since they came there for the first time, every other day Harry went to the dark cave and sat in front of it, practicing controlling pain in his scar. Now, he could easily stop that pain in the clearing. He knew the real test, however, was to go inside, and he was determined to do it.

In front of the cave, it always felt cold. Harry reached into the Force, shielded himself from the pain, and climbed down into the cave entrance between the roots of a huge tree. Like everywhere else on Dagobah, the cave was full of fog, and smelled of decay. Harry went forward, listening. _Only what you take with you_, Yoda said when Luke asked what was in there. _Okay, that probably means that it's not some dark creature I have to fight... But then what?_

He got his answer. A black robed figure was standing in front of him. The person lifted his hood, revealing a familiar, pale, scarred face. Lord Voldemort.

Harry lifted his lightsaber. In response, the dark wizard ignited his own red blade and attacked. Harry parried, then launched his own assault. Voldemort switched his saber to one hand and drew his wand with the other.

"_Protego!_" Harry shouted moments before Voldemort's spell hit. His hand shuddered. _This shouldn't be possible. Our wands don't..._

Voldemort's lightsaber nearly cut him in half. Harry fell on his back, desperately deflecting the dark lord's attacks. Reaching into the Force, he pushed his enemy.

Incredibly fast, Voldemort was thrown back. Not expecting that, Harry stood up, and saw, ahead of him, Voldemort clinging to a vine hanging over a deep chasm.

Harry looked at his lightsaber for a moment, and threw it. It spun in the air, severing Voldemort's support. The dark wizard fell. Harry summoned his lightsaber back and shut it off.

Then something fell next to him with a thud. Harry jumped up, reigniting his weapon. He looked at the object. It was a body, dressed in black robes.

But the body wasn't Voldemort's. Harry didn't need to see the face to know that. Voldemort was much larger.

Harry lifted the body's hood and gasped.

The face was Ron's.

Then, in front of his eyes, the face changed shape and turned into Hermione's.

"Oh, no..." Harry could barely breathe.

Then the body vanished into thing air, and Harry heard a cold, mocking laugh that chilled him to the bones.

Harry spent the return trip brooding on what he saw. He was no closer to understanding what happened. He wanted to know what Luke saw when he went in. His best guess was that the cave was sort of a reverse of the mirror of Erised. That however, did not helped him to understand what he saw.

When he got back, he saw Luke in his flight suit, standing next to his X-wing. "And sacrifice Han and Leia?" he was saying.

"If honor you what they fight for... yes!" Yoda declared.

"Luke!" Harry ran up. "You're leaving?"

"Han and Leia are in danger. I have to help them."

"Wait for me," Harry started to get his own flight suit.

"If you choose to face Vader," a new voice said, and Harry noticed a ghost-like figure of the old man he saw Vader cut down on the Death Star, "You will do it alone. I cannot interfere."

"Do this, you must not," Yoda spoke to Harry. "Complete your training you should."

"I can't let Luke go off alone," Harry replied. "You yourself said we must work together."

Yoda looked at him, scowled, and said, addressing both of them, "Strong is Vader. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can. And separate you must not."

"I will," Luke replied. "And I'll return. I promise."

"Don't give in to hate," the ghost of Ben Kenobi advised them. "That leads to the dark side. And stay together. It may save you both."

Harry wanted to ask this man so much... but there was no time. He smiled from the cockpit of his fighter. Luke already lifted off. Harry followed.

They were already in orbit when Harry's scar tingled. He got it under control... and when he reached the Force to do it, he saw it. It was only a short glimpse, but he registered incredible detail. And there was no mistake about what he had seen.

"Hermione!" he cried out.

"What?" Luke asked.

"Hermione. She's in danger."

"Are you sure?"

"Are you sure about Han and Leia? I saw it through the Force," Harry raised his voice a little, not liking that Luke doubted him. He breathed out, calming himself.

"Okay. Where?" Luke asked.

"I don't know. A city in the clouds..."

"That's what I saw, as well. Bespin—that's what Yoda called it," Luke whispered.

"What if there's another place like that? If there is, and we go after Han and Leia first, we'll be too late for Hermione. And..."

"And vise versa. It's a risk we'll have to take," Luke replied, slightly angry.

"Obi-Wan and Yoda did tell us to stay together..."

"Right. If we're on the same planet, we'd at least be able to get to each other quickly."

_I hope it's close enough_, Harry thought. "CueSeven," he ordered his astromech, "Set the coordinates." The droid made a happy-sounding chirp.

"See you at Bespin, Harry." Luke's fighter vanished into hyperspace.

Harry stretched out with the Force and tried to send a message through it.

"Help's on the way, Hermione," he said to reinforce it. Then he pulled on the throttle and departed the Dagobah system.


	28. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26.**

The planet Bespin was large gas giant, almost as big as Yavin. From a distance, it looked like a giant pearl hanging in space. Han descended into the habitable band of its atmosphere and set course for a hovering structure visible in the distance.

Two orange aircraft, made up of two pots with a crew member inside each, flanked the _Falcon._ Their transmission blared out of the cockpit speakers.

"Unidentified ship, please state your identity and destination."

Han shrugged to the others and leaned to the microphone. "This is Captain Han Solo of the _Millennium Falcon_," he said. "I'm—"

"Do you have a landing permit?"

"No," Han snarled, "I don't have a landing permit. I'm trying to reach Lando Calrissian—"

Laser fire from the aerial vehicles interrupted Han.

"Whoa! Wait a minute! Let me explain!" the pilot protested.

"You will not deviate from your present course," the reply came.

"If these are your friends, Han," Ron exclaimed, "I'd hate to see what your enemies look like."

Chewbacca barked at Han. "That was a long time ago," the smuggler replied. "I'm sure he's forgotten about that."

"Permission granted to land on Platform 327." the airborne patrol told them, and the craft veered off.

"Thank you," Han snorted, and shut off the system. "There's nothing to worry about. Lando and I go way back."

"Who's worried?" Leia didn't sound convinced.

They remained on course, approaching the floating structure. It looked like a large saucer with regular buildings on top and a long boom hanging from the bottom. And it was big. When the _Falcon_ flew low over the rooftops, it was possible to believe that the city covered the whole planet.

They finally landed on a small landing pad at the edge of the flying metropolis. Han and Chewbacca took their weapons as they headed for the exit. Ron looked at them, nodded, and made sure his wand could be drawn in a hurry. He'd already run into too many of Han's 'friends' and he had no intention of this being the last person he'd ever meet.

"I don't like this," Leia said as they were heading down the ramp.

"I don't either," Ron seconded her.

"Well, what would you like?" Han glared at them.

"Well, they did let us land," Threepio commented.

"Look, don't worry. Everything's going to be fine," Han assured them. "Trust me."

At the far end of the platform, a door opened and several people stepped out. At the front of the group walked a tall, dark-skinned man, elegantly dressed, with a long blue cape on his shoulders.

"See," Han told them. "My friend."

He didn't look like a friend to Ron, and Han's next phrase betrayed the smuggler's unease as well. "Keep your eyes open, okay?" he said to Chewbacca. Ron reached for his wand.

Lando stopped ten feet from Han. "Why you slimy, double-crossing no good swindler! You've got a lot of guts coming here, after what you pulled."

Han pointed at himself, then raised his eyebrows.

Lando approached him and his face morphed into a grin. He embraced Han and laughed.

"How you doing, you old pirate? So good to see you!" The transformation was so rapid that Ron wondered if it was contrived.

"Well, he seems very friendly," Threepio said, excited.

"Yes..." Leia echoed. "Very friendly."

Ron took his hand off his wand, but he still didn't think everything was going well.

"And how're you doing, Chewbacca? Still hanging around with this loser?" Lando asked the Wookiee. Chewie barked back. Then Lando looked at Leia.

"Hello," he said. "What have we here? Welcome, I'm Lando Calrissian, I'm the administrator of this facility. And who might you be?"

"Leia," she answered dryly.

"Welcome, Leia," Lando kissed her hand.

"Right, you old smoothie," Han led the princess away.

Ron wanted to introduce himself, but Lando was already heading back, talking excitedly with Han. Ron shrugged and followed the rest. He looked at Leia, who was walking behind Han without a hit of a smile on her face.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he told the princess.

She looked in surprise. "Glad to know I'm not the only one," she said.

They followed Lando and Han deep into the heat of Cloud City.

"...And I've had supply problems of every kind, I've had labor difficulties..." Lando was saying, and Han laughed. "What's so funny?"

"You," Han replied. "Listen to you—you sound like a businessman, a responsible leader. Who'd have thought that, huh?"

Lando stared at Han. "You know, seeing you sure brings back a few things."

"Yeah," Han agreed.

"Yeah, I'm responsible these days," Lando explained, "It's the price you pay for being successful."

Chewbacca, at the tail end of the group, stopped and sniffed the air. He growled. "What is it, Chewie?" Ron said, looking back.

The Wookiee shrugged and quietly grunted. "Another bad feeling?" Ron was incredulous. "They seem to breed around here."

Chewie barked a reply. "Yes," Ron admitted. "They usually do turn out to be justified. Just not the way we expect it."

XXXXXXXX

The next morning they resumed their journey. Hermione sensed something that wasn't there before. They had been walking for about an hour when Wedge stopped.

"Wedge, what is it?"

"Shh. Listen."

A faint rumbling was heard in the distance. "Come on," Wedge said. "Let's take a look."

They walked several hundred feet more. The forest ended abruptly, revealing a flat grassy plain stretching to the horizon. And within a quarter of a mile on that plain were Imperial stormtroopers, with their vehicles.

Before Hermione could say anything, they were seen. A blaster bolt exploded over their heads.

"Back into the forest, Hermione!" Wedge yelled. "We don't stand a chance here!"She had to agree. They ran back the way they came.

"Did you see how many were there?" she asked.

"Ten or twelve, I think. Plus an AT-PT. No speeder bikes, thank the Force." He changed to a whisper. "Look!"

Three stormtroopers were walking through the forest. "What're you going to do?" Wedge asked Hermione when she raised her wand.

"Put an invisible wall in front of them," she explained as best she could. "Get ready."

Wedge nodded. Hermione aimed at the Imperials. "_Impedimenta!_" she cried.

The trio of stormtroopers stopped, and one of them tripped and fell. Wedge fired and brought one of them down. Another aimed at them. "_Protego!_" Hermione shouted, absorbing his bolt. Wedge's second shot took him. Hermione took out the last one with the stun spell.

Wedge holstered his blaster and picked up one of the dead troopers' rifles. Hermione nodded and did so as well. Wands or not, it might be useful. They resumed their crawl through the underbrush, looking out for more of the enemy. They saw them looking over the bodies of the three imperials they just killed. There were five of them, including a sergeant with orange pads on his shoulders. They stood too far apart to quickly target in succession. Hermione looked carefully for some advantage. Wedge glanced at her and raised a thermal detonator he took from one of the dead stormtroopers. She nodded, and focused on a heavy branch lying near the enemy patrol.

"_Accio!_" she said, hurling the stick into one of the soldiers, knocking him down. The others turned to him and rushed forward. Wedge threw the detonator, raised his rifle, and fired, taking out the sergeant. "_Stupefy!_" shouted Hermione, stunning another trooper and sawing more confusion. Then the bomb exploded, eliminating the remaining Imperials.

"Nice job," Wedge congratulated her. "Now—"

A blaster shot rang out, and Wedge was thrown, hit a nearby log, and fell, unmoving. "Wedge!" Hermione screamed. Turning around, she saw two more stormtroopers coming behind a small version of the two-legged walker—an AT-PT. She wanted to yell in anger. Instead, she raised her wand and prepared for a final fight. "_Protego!_" she said.

The shield absorbed enemy bolts, but she felt it shudder. She fired her blaster rifle with her free hand, and killed one of the soldiers tagging along behind the walker. The other ducked for cover. She looked up, and cursed herself for missing something so obvious. It was a long shot, but… _This will work,_ she reassured herself. _Come on,_ she urged the Imperial. _One more step…_

The walker obliged. She stabbed upward with her wand. "_Incendio!_" she cried, putting all her will power into the spell. The blue beam of fire emerged out and contacted the branch of a nearby tree. It burned through in moments, and the three-foot thick tree limb fell on the top of the walker, crushing it. Then the remnants of the vehicle exploded, taking with them the remaining stormtrooper. Once all the pieces landed, unbelievable silence filled the forest.

"Wedge," Hermione rushed to her friend. "Wedge!" The man didn't move. "Oh, Wedge…" She listened more closely, and realized that he was still breathing. She leaned down and heard his heart beat. The relief she felt was impossible to describe. Then Wedge stirred and opened his eyes.

"Ow," he said, rubbing his head.

"Oh, Wedge, you're alive!" Then, without thinking, she kissed him.

Wedge sat up and opened his medkit. "No, let me do it," Hermione said, opening the bottle and rubbing the ointment into Wedge's bruise. Once she got done and Wedge stood up, she embraced him. Their lips met…

"Wedge…" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"When I saw you…. When I thought you were dead…. That was the scariest thing I had ever seen. More than any mission, than any monster, than the Death Star. I never feared so much in my life. Don't you ever do anything like that to me again!" She kept on kissing him. Wedge could only kiss back.

Hermione finally released him and stood up. "We should get out of her before they decide something's wrong."

"Let's go." They headed, instead of their usual direction, south, away from the river, hoping to remain under the cover of the forest as long as possible. They had no such luck. About a mile away, the forest gave way to the plain here as well. Nearby, they saw a prefab building standing on top of a small hill. "Wonder what's in there," Wedge mused.

"They might have food other than fish or nuts," Hermione said hopefully.

"Are you sure?" Wedge became cautious. "It's probably the Imperials. They aren't likely to welcome us."

"Hey, Wedge, I just took down a walker. Give me some credit. It'll be okay."

Wedge nodded and got his blaster ready.

Hermione drew her wand. Before they stepped out of the woods, she came up to him and gave him another kiss. "Just in case," she said, and, as they headed for the building's entrance, Wedge could only wonder: _Just in case what?_


	29. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27.**

"What, Chewie?" Han stared at his companion. "You haven't seen him?"

"Not since we've arrived," Ron told him. "Have you?"

"No... all right, go look for him," he said reluctantly. "Maybe that's why it's been so quiet lately..." Han mused, but Ron and Chewie were already gone.

"Maybe they put him with the city's droids," Ron suggested.

The Wookiee barked back, skeptical.

"You're right, we can't look everywhere, we need a clue. Where did you last see him?"

Instead of answering, Chewie trotted back towards the landing platform. Ron followed, until the Wookiee stopped, pointed forward, and issued a series of excited growls.

"So by this time, he wasn't behind us," Ron said thoughtfully. The grunt in response was affirmative.

"Good. So we just inspect each doorway to see if he passed through." Chewie nodded, and they began the search.

On the sixth door, they got lucky. As soon as they opened it, the Wookiee gave an impassioned bark. "Here?" Ron asked. Chewie confirmed it and pointed off to the side. Ron saw a dirty, rusty-looking piece of gold plating. He picked it up.

"It's from Threepio, all right. Now where's the rest of him?"

Chewbacca growled back, worried. "What?" Ron took a closer look at the droid part he held. "Damn, you're right. Those _are_ blaster scorch marks. But if they shot him, they might have tried to cover it up. Where would you dispose of broken machines?"

Chewbacca yelped.

"Recycling?" Ron gasped. "As in, melt down for the metal?"

Chewie nodded. "Let's hurry," Ron urged him. The pair headed for the nearest lift.

They were almost too late. Pieced of Threepio were on a conveyor belt, along with all sorts of junk, and they were heading towards a glowing furnace. One of the robot's arms was already at the very edge of the inferno.

"_Accio!_" yelled Ron, sending the arm flying to him. He caught it and set it at his feet.

The aliens who were serving the conveyor belt were pig-headed, literally and figuratively. They got agitated and loudly yelled at Ron and the Wookiee. Ron raised his wand.

"_Accio!_" he shouted, and most of Threepio's torso flew across the room. This made the aliens even angrier, and when Chewbacca tried to get the droid's head, they started tossing it like a ball, getting closer to the furnace with every pass. Chewie managed to grab the head just in time. Ron looked at the Wookiee. Chewie already had both legs stuck under his arm.

"Looks like we have everything," Ron said, picking up the arms. "Don't even think about it," he aimed his wand at the aliens. "_Stupefy!_" he stunned the one in the lead. They headed out of the processing room, back to the upper levels of the city.

Han and Leia appeared to be arguing about something when Ron and Chewbacca entered. The Wookiee set pieces of Threepio on the table and gave Han a long growl.

"You found him in a junk pile?" Han said skeptically. Ron nodded.

"What a mess," Leia remarked. "Chewie, do you think you can repair him?"

The Wookiee made a sad grunt. Ron could only shake his head in appreciation. It certainly wouldn't be easy.

"Lando's got people who can fix him," Han suggested.

"No thanks," Leia declined. At that moment, Lando entered the room.

"Sorry, am I interrupting anything?" he asked.

"Not really," Leia said coldly.

"You look absolutely beautiful," he complimented her. "You truly belong here with us among the clouds."

"Thank you," she politely replied.

"Will you join me for a little refreshment?" Lando asked, and, noticing Han's scowl, quickly added, "Everyone's invited, of course."

They turned to leave, when Lando saw Threepio "Having trouble with your droid?"

"No," Han waved it off. "No problem. Why?"

They departed, leaving Threepio behind, Ron's feeling of unease suddenly got heavier. He dismissed it, since it told him nothing specific, but remained watchful.

"...we don't fall under the jurisdiction of the Empire," Lando explained to Han.

"So you're part of the mining guild, then?" Leia asked.

"No, actually. Our operation is small enough not to be noticed."

"This is small?" Ron said quietly enough so no one but Chewbacca could hear him. "They found our Hoth base, didn't they? It certainly wasn't bigger than this."

The Wookiee smelled the air and huffed at him.

"I know something's wrong. Can you be more specific?"

Chewie shrugged apologetically.

"...I've just made a deal," Lando told Han, approaching a pair of large doors, "That will keep the Empire out of her forever."

At those words, Ron nearly panicked. But then, the doors opened. Inside the large room was a long table, and at the far end sat Darth Vader.

Han drew his blaster and fired at him. Ron immediately whipped out his wand. "_Stupefy!_" he roared.

Vader stopped both his spell and Han's bolts with his hand. Then, both the wand and the blaster were yanked out of their owners' hands by a mysterious force, and hurled into Vader's palm. The armored figure set the implements on the table next to him.

"We would be honored if you joined us," he said.

XXXXXXXX

Wedge had to struggle to concentrate on the situation around him. That may have been because of the bruise, but he didn't think so. What he wanted more than anything else was to tell Hermione that he was in love with her. He couldn't tell exactly when it happened, nor did he care. He wanted to tell her… and to find out if she shared these feelings. _Well, Wedge? What're you waiting for? Are you afraid? Yes, _he admitted to himself. He remembered what she told him about Hogwarts. _If you make her angry, she can make you forget you ever knew her_, he realized. That was the worst fate he could imagine. _Oh, stop being so pessimistic. She wouldn't just kiss you like that and turn on you like some sort of witch. **Great** word choice there, Wedge. That kind of slip just might make her mad, seeing that she actually **is **a witch._

They approached the entrance to the building. Wedge listened. Everything inside was quiet. Then the door flew open. Wedge jumped off to the side, ready for stormtroopers to come out shooting. They didn't. Wedge glanced inside. "Nothing," he muttered.

"Come on," she said. They walked inside, weapons at the ready.

The room was empty of everything save a few large crates and another door at the far end, about ten meters. It was dimly lit, and had a gloomy feel to it. Wedge kicked at the floor. "No dust," he commented. "Someone was here recently."

Just then, when they stepped into the center of the room, the door through which they entered slammed shut. "Uh-oh…," Hermione said. "This doesn't feel right. Is it locked?"

Before Wedge could get there and check, a floor panel slid away, revealing a hole in front of them. Wedge couldn't believe what he saw next, since a woman leaped out of that hole, spun in the air and landed on her feet without crouching in front of them. She was tall, had flaming red-gold hair, and was dressed in a green jumpsuit with an impressive assembly of weapons on her. Wedge stepped back.

"You will come with me," the woman said, and Wedge got an urge to do just that. _What am I doing? I've never met her. Hey!_ he told his legs. _Obey **me**!_ The state, somewhat like drowsiness, passed over and he looked at Hermione. She winked at him. Wedge raised his blaster and fired. At the same time, Hermione aimed her wand and shouted, "_Stupefy!_"

The woman moved faster than Wedge thought possible. She actually _dodged_ his bolts, as well as Hermione's spell. She jumped behind a crate, then stood up, and something yanked Wedge's blaster out of his hand. He looked at Hermione, and saw she was standing there, also empty-handed. The woman raised her arm, and Wedge felt a sharp point impact his neck. Then he fell.

Pain surged through his left arm. He wanted to scream, but couldn't. He tried to blink, and realized with a horror that he couldn't do that either. He could see, hear, and feel everything... but he had absolutely no control over his muscles. Not being able to clench fists, grit teeth, or anything else made the pain ten times harder to bear.

_What does that woman want with us?_ he thought. _Does she work for the Empire, or is she some sort of bounty hunter. Of course, _he reminded himself, _the two are not mutually exclusive._

Then Wedge was terrified. The woman was heading towards the other door in the room, and she was carrying Hermione. The witch was in an awkward position, in which it would be impossible to remain for long normally. _She must have been drugged the same way I was_, he realized. He knew now that Hermione wasn't kidding when she said that seeing his body and thinking him dead was the scariest thing she ever saw.

The door in the back opened, and Wedge mentally cursed himself. _The trap is obvious, once it's sprung_. He caught only a tiny glimpse there, but it was enough to realize that it was a ship. The other half of the building was an empty cover for the vessel. _Great,_ Wedge thought. _Even if she leaves me alive, which is doubtful, I'll have no clue where she went._

The woman stepped out of the door, alone and headed towards Wedge.

Then Wedge heard a loud explosion behind him. The woman turned and ran back into her ship. The door shut behind. The wall fell apart, and Wedge saw open sky, with the ship blasting off. A blaster fired behind him. Wedge saw the bolt hit the ship, naturally doing no damage.

A large, brown-haired bearded man he didn't know got on his knees next him. He waved his hand in front of his face. Wedge still couldn't blink.

"Substance 93," the man said, and reached into his belt. Before Wedge could think anything, he felt a needle sticking into his shoulder. Then, all of a sudden, he regained control. "Yaaoow!" He screamed in pain.

"Let's get him to the ship," he heard Tycho's voice, and then felt being picked up and carried. An Imperial shuttle stood outside the building. If Wedge didn't hear Tycho already, he would worry.

"Hello, Boss," Wes Janson greeted him when he was brought in. "Welcome back." Wes turned away and the shuttle took off. Tycho and the unknown man laid him on the couch. He looked up and saw Jan Ors. He felt another needle enter his arm and lost consciousness.

When he woke up, he was rested and felt no pain. He stood up. The room was empty. He recognized the familiar hum of engines, and nodded. They were in hyperspace. He headed forward.

In the cramped cockpit of the shuttle sat four people: Tycho, Wes, Jan, and the bearded man, who was the first to see him. "Welcome back, Major Antilles," he said.

"Wedge, this is Kyle Katarn," Jan introduced the man.

Wedge nodded. "Hello. Thank you." But before he could satisfy his curiosity about the man, he had to know something. "Hermione. The woman took her."

"We'll go rescue here as soon as we make it back to Calamari and pick up Hobbie," Wes assured him.

"And where will we go?"

Tycho stepped in. "We don't know… yet. We'll find out soon enough."

"How?"

Tycho raised his finger and took out a rifle. "What do you think this is?"

Wedge looked. He recognized the weapon. "An ordinary flechette rifle, 20-mm caliber. Is it special?"

"The rifle? No. The ammunition is what's special. This," Tycho took a shell out of the weapon, "is something Intelligence cooked up. The galaxy's smallest homing beacon."

"Are you saying…," Wedge trailed off.

"Yep. I tagged that ship. Once we're both out of hyperspace, we'll get the signal."

Wedge breathed out. _That's a relief_. "What happened after we crashed?"

"Well, we flew to the other side of the planet in the atmosphere, but we ran into a slight problem. The imperials placed a _Lancer­_-class frigate there. We managed to get past it, but I got clipped. The wing of my fighter is still floating somewhere in the Suran system."

Jan answered him this time. "When they got to the rendezvous, they didn't bring back as much data as we'd hoped. Most of the commandos hesitated to go forth. So Kyle went in… alone."

"The info was sufficient," Katarn said. "It did the job."

"You destroyed the complex? By yourself?" Wedge was stunned.

"The Dark Troopers were harder," Kyle said discreetly.

_Wedge leaned back. We're coming for you, Hermione. He wished he told her this before they fell into the trap, but an attempt to send a mental message across the light years would have to do for now. I love you._


	30. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28.**

Ron and Chewbacca were locked in a cell, along with pieces of Threepio. Shrill noise filled the room. Despite that, Ron tried to concentrate. He wanted to know how much magic he could do without his wand. He remembered that Luke claimed he used "the Force" to guide the torpedoes into the Death Star exhaust port, but even Luke said that it required training, and he could only focus it only in rare circumstances. Ron spent the past half-hour trying to unlock the cell with his mind. They were still here. _If only I didn't draw my wand,_ he thought, and then laughed at himself. _If wishes were galleons, I'd own half of England._

Suddenly the noise stopped. Chewbacca moaned quietly. Ron patted him on the back. "It's all right," he tried to reassure him. The words rang hollow. Chewbacca whimpered and began to repair the droid.

After several attempts, Chewie got Threepio's head onto his body. The robot's eyes lighted up and he began to make unintelligible sounds. Chewie tinkered a bit more, and finally, Threepio began speaking in his ordinary voice.

"Stormtroopers?" he said. "Here? We're in danger. I must tell the others. Oh no! I've been shot!"

"Well," Ron commented, "Not everything's gone to pieces.

"How can you say that, Master Ron," Threepio insisted. "I **am** in pieces!"

Ron ignored him, and Chewbacca continued repairs. He was nearly done reattaching the arms when the droid complained again. "Oh, something is not right, because now I can't see. Wait. Wait! Oh my! What have you done? I'm backwards, you stupid furball. Only an overgrown mophead like you would be stupid enough—"

Chewie, having had enough, turned Threepio off and growled at Ron.

Then the door opened and stormtroopers threw Han in. The Corellian looked like he was about to collapse. Chewbacca rushed to support his stumbling friend. "I feel terrible," Han said weakly.

The door opened again and Leia was shoved in. She embraced Han and kissed him, before carefully laying him down on the hard plank extending out of the wall.

"Why are they doing this?" she demanded.

Han groaned. "They never even asked me any questions."

"Can you help him? Leia looked at Ron. "That pain-relief spell... oh..." she realized. "Sorry."

"It's all right."

The door opened for the third time. "Lando," Leia told him.

"Get out of here, Lando!" Han found the strength to say.

"Shut up and listen!" the other man looked them over. "Vader has agreed to turn Leia, Chewie, and Ron over to me."

"Over to you?" Han was incredulous.

"What about Han?" Leia demanded.

"Vader's giving him over to the bounty hunter."

"Vader wants us all dead!" Leia insisted.

"Vader doesn't want you at all!" Lando countered. "He's after somebody called Skywalker."

"Luke?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"Vader set a trap for him," Lando informed them.

"And we're the bait!" Leia finished, although that part was obvious.

"Well, he's on his way," said Lando.

"Harry!" Ron gasped. "Is Harry with him?"

Lando didn't answer.

"You fixed us all pretty good, didn't you," Han spat. "My friend." He leaped up and rushed Lando, punching hard enough to tumble him. The fistfight was furious. After several exchanges of blows, one of Lando's guards knocked Han down with the butt of his rifle. The other aimed his. Chewbacca and Ron were about to join in when Lando gestured to the guards to back off. He straightened out his clothing and rubbed one of the bruises. "Stop," he said. "I've done all I can. I'm sorry I couldn't do better, but I've got my own problems."

"Yeah," Han snarled, "You're a real hero."

When Lando left, Leia, Ron, and Chewie laid Han back onto the bunk, and started tending to his injuries. "You certainly have a way with people," Leia commented.

"Harry will probably come with Luke," Ron thought aloud, "And Vader will have all of us."

"What about Hermione?" Leia asked.

"When she finds out what happened, she'll try to get us also. Isn't that just convenient?"

Han clenched his fists. "Lando..."

The door opened, again, and stormtroopers marched in. Their officer ordered them to follow him. All four did so, with Chewie carrying Threepio on his back. Ron and Leia supported Han on either side.

XXXXXXXX

Two X-wings appeared over the gas giant planet of Bespin.

"You made it okay?" Luke asked his friend.

"Yeah," Harry answered. "Let's find them."

"That's odd...," Luke said.

"What?"

"There are no vessels in orbit. None taking off, either. Something's not right here."

Harry thought Hermione was here. He didn't know whether it was the Force or wishful thinking on his part, so he kept it quiet. They descended in silence.

At first, the platform didn't look very big, but soon, Harry realized that the flying metropolis was enormous. Bigger than anything (except for the Death Star, of course) than he'd ever seen before. Everything appeared to be in order, but Harry felt uneasy. Then he laughed at himself for not realizing it sooner.

"What's so funny?" Luke demanded.

"Not funny. It's just that... nothing looks wrong with this place, and that's how I know that something _is_ wrong."

"I know what you mean. Sort of the reverse of Dagobah, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "So what do we do? Just land?"

"I guess so."

"Strange that a place like this has no traffic control."

"Maybe they just didn't hail us."

Harry felt Luke's discomfort through the Force. _He doesn't believe everything is okay anymore than I do_. He activated the repulsors and lowered his X-wing on the landing platform.

Luke was already out of his ship, and was stretching out. Harry quickly joined him. "Should we leave the droids here?" he asked.

Luke gave it a thought, but both Artoo and CueSeven made shrill beeps protesting the idea. Luke shook his head. "No, we'd better not. We're being watched, I feel it. They won't take long to come here." Harry didn't ask who "they" were.

As Harry lowered his astromech down with the Force, the droid chirped something. Artoo beeped a reply. CueSeven expressed his annoyance with a long whistle.

"Great," Luke shook his head. "Be quiet, you two! This is no place for an argument about which one of us is the better master!"

Imagining the possible contents of that argument made Harry laugh. Luke grinned as well, but then got serious again.

"Got everything?"

"Yeah. Just..."

"What?"

"We've come to rescue Han, Leia, and Hermione. Who'll be rescuing us?"

"Let's go, Harry. We'll try to make sure we don't need rescuing."

Harry nodded, and followed Luke inside the city.


	31. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29.**

They were marched into a darkened chamber full of industrial machinery and fumes. In the center of the platform was a large well surrounded by hoses. The same two armored figures that were at the table stood nearby. Ron guessed that the green-helmeted man was the bounty hunter.

"What's going on, buddy?" Han inquired Lando.

"You're being put into carbon freeze," the Baron Administrator informed him.

"What if he doesn't survive?" the bounty hunter demanded. "He's worth a lot to me."

"The Empire will compensate you if he dies," Vader assured him. "Put him in!" Ron closed his eyes.

Chewbacca charged at the stormtroopers, howling with rage. The Imperial soldiers, obviously under orders not to harm the prisoners, began beating the Wookiee with the butts of their rifles. Threepio, from Chewie's back, screamed in terror. Ron looked around. _Maybe I can do something now_, he thought, deciding to take advantage of the moment. He quickly grabbed a blaster pistol from the holster of a nearby imperial officer, and shot its owner dead. Then he dashed for the exit. Before he could take two steps, however, something invisible gripped his throat and he collapsed. A stormtrooper took the weapon from him.

"Brave, but stupid," Vader lectured him. "Restrain them!" The Imperials handcuffed him and Leia, as well as Chewbacca.

"Save your strength," Han told the Wookiee. "There'll be another time. The princess—you have to take care of her. You hear me?" Chewie nodded and shed tears.

"The stormtroopers pried Han and Leia apart in the middle of a kiss. Ron could only watch as they lowered Han into the well.

"I love you," Leia exclaimed.

"I know," Han replied.

Ron looked at Leia, who was in tears. "I'm sorry," he said.

Steam hissed out of the hoses around the well and then the crane lifted out... something. It was a large metal slab, and on its front were a human face and two hands. The facial features were unmistakably Han's. Ron gulped. Leia trembled with fear. Chewie moaned.

"What... what's going on?" Threepio got curious. "Turn around, Chewbacca, I can't see. Oh... they've encased him in carbonite. He should be quite well protected—if he survived the freezing process, that is."

The Wookiee cut him off with an angry growl. "Well, Calrissian?" Vader demanded. "Did he survive?"

Lando checked the readings on the side of the block. "Yes, he's alive. And in perfect hibernation."

"He's all yours, bounty hunter," Vader dismissed the other man. "Reset the chamber for Skywalker."

An officer walked up to him. "Skywalker has just landed, my lord," he reported.

"Good. See too it that he finds his way here."

"What of his... partner, my lord?"

"Make sure they separate. Then deal with him yourselves." Ron gulped. So Harry was here. He had an all too good idea what _deal_ _with_ _him_ meant.

"Calrissian," Vader gestured at the prisoners, "Take them to my ship."

"You said they'd be left in the city under my supervision," Lando protested.

"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further."

Stormtroopers motioned the three prisoners out of the chamber. For some reason, Lando tagged along. Leia glared at him. Ron was more angry at himself. _If I didn't try that, our hands would be free now. Now that Darth Vader is elsewhere, it might have been easier to pull off._

His thoughts were interrupted by shooting. The firing was getting closer. He turned and saw a glimpse of Luke and Artoo.

"Luke!" Leia cried. "Luke, it's a trap! It's a trap!"

XXXXXXXX

Harry and Luke were sneaking through the city. They didn't really know where they were going, relying on the Force to guide them. Luke suggested they not show their lightsabers until necessary, and Harry agreed. But the corridors of the city—at least on these upper levels—were wide, clean, and completely deserted. Harry could only see people in the distance. He added that to the list of strange and disturbing things about the place.

Luke gestured to the droids to stay back and trotted across the corridor. Harry crawled along the other wall, ready to catch any possible enemies in the crossfire.

Luke pointed forward. Harry saw a man—at least it appeared to be a man—wearing armor and a cylindrical helmet—walking with a precise determination. Behind him, two men in blue uniforms pushed some sort of metal block supported by repulsors. And behind them walked two stormtroopers, rifles at the ready.

_There's a surprise that's not a surprise_, Harry thought. He glanced at Luke. "The Empire," he said.

"Who else?" Luke shrugged. A blaster fired.

He and Luke drew their blasters. The helmeted man's next shot was dead on. Harry doubted he could have avoided getting hit without the Force to warn him. He took a shot at the man, but he managed to duck. Luke fired, also missing. The man disappeared behind the wall. By the time they got there, the corridor was empty.

They turned around and saw, further down the hallway, Chewie, Ron, Threepio, and Leia marched away under guard. Next to the group was another man, well-dressed, who didn't appear to be either a prisoner or an imperial.

"Luke!" Leia shouted. "Luke, it's a trap, it's a trap!" Two stormtroopers pulled her away, while the rest began shooting at them. Harry and Luke returned fire, and ran after their friends.

"C'mon," Luke tensed. Harry followed, keeping slightly behind Luke, in case more stormtroopers suddenly burst out from one of the side corridors.

They found themselves, once again, in a deserted hallway. A door next to them opened, revealing a darkened chamber. Before Harry could say anything, Luke stepped in. Harry wanted to follow, but the door slammed. "Perfect," he muttered.

Artoo beeped and rolled away. "Hey! Where're you going?" Harry shouted, but it was no use. CueSeven gave him a sympathetic beep.

"CueSeven, can you open the door?"

The droid's reply made Harry feel like he was the stupidest person in the galaxy. "Of course. No outlet. In that case..." He drew his lightsaber and cut through the door.

Another nasty surprise awaited him, however. Instead of the dark chamber, there was a solid column of metal. He shook his head, and then followed Artoo. CueSeven whistled and joined him.


	32. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30.**

Ron couldn't tell whether Harry had been with Luke. _I hope he heard her,_ he thought. _I hope he leaves and saves himself_. That nearly made him laugh. _Sure. And Malfoy will marry Hermione_.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by blue-uniformed guards of the city. Lando confiscated the stormtroopers' weapons, and a guard broke the locks on Ron and Leia's handcuffs.

"Well done. Hold them in the security tower," Lando ordered. "And keep it quiet."

The stormtroopers were marched off under guard. Lando turned to Chewbacca and opened his bonds.

"What do you think you're doing?" Leia demanded.

"Getting us out of here."

"You expect us to trust you?" _The nerve of him, _thought Ron.

"After what you did to Han?" Leia added.

Chewbacca tried to choke Lando. "I had no choice," he defended himself.

"What are you doing? Trust him, trust him!" Threepio urged the Wookiee.

"Oh we understand, don't we?" Leia sneered. "He had no choice."

"I'm just trying to help..." Lando tried again.

"You've 'helped' us already, thanks," Ron snapped.

"Han..." Lando groaned. "There's still a chance to save Han."

"Chewie," Leia ordered. The Wookiee let go. The man regained his breath.

"Boba Fett is on the East platform," Lando told them. "This way!"

As they ran through the corridors, Ron wished he had a broomstick... but the Firebolt was aboard the _Falcon_ and he couldn't summon it without his wand. Suddenly, he heard a familiar beep.

"Artoo!" Threepio exclaimed. "Artoo! Where have you been? Hurry! We're trying to save Han from the bounty hunter."

The astromech droid whistled and followed them.

"Artoo," Ron asked, "Did Harry come with Luke?"

The droid chirped. "Yes," Threepio translated. "Your friend came to look for Mistress Hermione. He said she was in danger."

"She's here?" _Just perfect._ _Why does the Empire have to get so lucky? _Then they entered the landing platform, and Ron put that out of his mind. Boba Fett's ship already lifted off. Chewbacca managed to fire one shot, which did no damage.

"We're too late," Ron said.

"Oh, no!" Threepio shouted. "Chewie, they're behind you!"

They turned around and saw a squad of stormtroopers. Leia fired and dropped one of them. Chewie and Ron joined in, firing in fury.

"There!" one of the Imperials pointed off to the side, where Ron couldn't see. But he did see bolts coming back from that corridor. Within seconds, all the stormtroopers were down, and a dark-clothed figure whom Ron recognized immediately ran out.

"Harry!" he yelled, running towards his friend.

"Ron!"

"Hi, Harry," Leia greeted him. "Where's Luke?"

"We got separated," Harry told her.

Another astromech droid rolled up, to receive an excited greeting from Artoo. Ron smiled. "Harry, this is Lando Calrissian," he introduced the other man. Ron was actually surprised how quickly his anger at him evaporated. Being in battle together tended to do that.

"Hello," Harry said before looking at Ron, who was holding a blaster. "Your wand..."

"Vader took it." Harry nodded. "Here," he tossed Ron his wand. "We've got to get Hermione."

"Whoa," Lando protested. "You don't know..."

"I KNOW!" Harry roared. Calming himself he went on. "Don't ask how, I just do. And I know she's in trouble."

"We're going with you," Leia declared. Ron turned to her. "No. Get to the _Falcon_.

You'll be able to help us better from there." Chewie barked in agreement.

Harry suddenly jerked his head. "They're coming."

"Good luck," Leia said as she, Lando, and Chewie ran to the lift. The two droids joined them.

"Looks like it's just us," Ron commented on the deserted corridor.

"Uh, not quite," his friend replied. And he was right. Five stormtroopers ran into the hall, rifles raised. Harry drew his lightsaber.

"Harry, that's a very short-ranged—" Ron shouted.

Harry ignited the blade. The Imperials opened fire.

Harry raised his weapon and sent the bolts flying back at the stormtroopers. He needed only a few swings of the blade to bring down all the enemies, managing to do that before Ron even began to think of a spell to cast.

Harry shut off the weapon. "Come on," he called. "We have to hurry."

"Wow," Ron said, an expression of awe on his face. "Can you teach me that?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Maybe later," he said. "_After_ we get Hermione."

"Are you sure you're going the right way?"

"Yes. I can feel her presence… and something else… something I can't quite pinpoint. Be careful."

"Of course."

As they ran, Lando's voice boomed out of the loudspeakers. "Attention," the administrator announced, "This is Lando Calrissian. The Empire has taken control of the city. I advise everyone to leave before more Imperial troops arrive."

"Was that a good idea?" Ron asked.

"I think it was," Harry said. "It's too late to do anything now, anyway." They stepped into a lift and began their descent. "Hermione's close."

"I hope you're right," Ron said. "Wonder how she ended up here."

"Ron," Harry took out his invisibility cloak, "Put this on."

"What about you?"

"I'll be the distraction. Stand back!" he shouted, pushing Ron to the side as the lift doors opened.

Harry leaped forward, igniting his lightsaber and deflecting a stream of bolts from a combat droid positioned in front of the elevator. Landing next to it, he sliced it in half and shut off the blade.

"Impressive," they heard a woman's voice that somehow seemed familiar to Harry.

This was the very edge of Cloud City – a series of walkways extending from the structure with nothing below. The red-haired woman stood on the platform above them, and further out, chained to a lamppost, was… Hermione.

"Harry!" she shouted. "It's a trap!"

_As if that wasn't obvious already. _Reaching into the Force, Harry felt Ron cautiously exit the lift and approach him. "Get her," he whispered, and before Ron could protest, leaped twenty feet up to the higher platform, igniting his lightsaber.

He faced the woman… and nearly fell back down. _No way, _he thought. _No way_. _It's impossible_. But there was no way, either, that he would make a mistake with something like this. Here was the reason her voice sounded familiar… but it still couldn't be. The hair was a few shades brighter, but otherwise, the woman looked just like…

Mom?" he gasped.

"What did you say, Potter?" the woman demanded.

Harry was confused. Was the woman his mother? And if she wasn't, how come she looked like her? "You look like my mother," he finally said. _Huge understatement, Harry_.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You will come with me."

"I think not," Harry said. No, this woman couldn't be his mother… or…

_Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will_, Yoda's words came to him. Could his mother have…

"Let her go," Harry demanded. "Or else—"

"Or else what? You think I'm afraid of _you_ and your Jedi tricks?"

Harry didn't know what to do. Nothing could have prepared him for this. _Is she?_ The question rang in his mind, unanswered. He stepped forward with determination.

He was stopped by a lightsaber appearing in the woman's hand. A dark blue blade shimmered in front of Harry. She swung at him.

Harry brought his own lightsaber up just in time. He stepped back, and parried another blow. And then the woman launched a full attack, forcing Harry into retreat. He did so, blocking her blows. Then, he leaped over her and swung, but she managed to spin around and parry him.

"How is this possible?" he asked her. "You can't be my mother."

The woman didn't reply, pressing her attack instead. "This is too easy," she mocked Harry.

_Is she?_ The question plagued Harry. But he realized she wouldn't answer him. He had to keep retreating under her lightning-fast strikes. He raised his hand and pushed back with the Force. Not expecting this, the woman momentarily stopped. Harry immediately went on the offensive, swinging at her from the side.

The woman, instead of blocking, stepped back with incredible speed, let Harry's blade move past, stepped forward, and struck with all her strength. The blow pushed the lightsaber out of Harry's hand. It fell to the lower level, clunking.

Harry stepped back, retreating from the woman's weapon aimed at his heart. She pressed forward. Harry knew there was only a short distance before the end of the walkway…

Harry leaped up landing on top of a lamppost. He stood up, keeping balance with the Force, and looked down…

The woman wore numerous weapons on her belt, as well as… a magic wand. Harry was more confused than ever. Reaching into the Force, he pulled the wand toward him. The woman, not expecting this, didn't stop him.

Harry glanced at the wand. It was Hermione's.

"You…" he started, but he suddenly felt danger coming. His support fell out as the woman cut through the lamppost. Harry dropped the wand, sending it flying. The metal tower crashed across the walkway. Harry regained control, jumped off, and landed on the lower level, immediately rolling away from the crashing column. The woman, who jumped with him, stood up and raised her arm. She fired two darts, but Harry already summoned his lightsaber back, and incinerated both of them.

"You'll have to do better than that," he said.

The woman's new attack was faster than the previous ones. Harry barely had the reflexes to block it. He had to keep retreating. The woman would soon pin him against the wall… _She can't be my mother_, he decided. _No parent would do something like this._ And yet... _how do I explain this?_ He looked at the woman. No answers. Just a fierce determination and deadly blade.

Harry did a backwards somersault to give himself pause from the woman's relentless advance, and then… he threw all caution to the wind and charged. Now the woman was in retreat, desperately fighting off his blows. He was pushing her towards the edge, towards the abyss. _Maybe if I pin her, I can extract an answer, _he thought.


	33. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31.**

Ron reached his goal. "Hermione," he whispered.

"Ron!"

"Yeah. Just be quiet. _Alohomora!_" The locks on her wrists snapped open.

"Ron," she said, "We've got to help Harry."

"_Accio!_" he cried, calling the wand he saw Harry drop to him. Looking at it, he smiled and handed it to Hermione. "It's yours."

"Thanks," she said.

"Let's go."

Harry glanced off to the side and saw Hermione freed. That cost him. The woman, standing on the very edge of the platform, leaped over him, and even before she landed, kicked him in the back. Harry was sent flying forward. He let go of his lightsaber, which fell into the clouds below. Grabbing onto a pipe under the walkway, he hung on for his life.

The woman's blade swung twice, severing the pipe. Harry, still clutching the piece of metal, dropped.

"Nooo!" Ron yelled, not caring that his voice would give him away, despite the invisibility cloak. The woman turned, saw Hermione, and reactivated her lightsaber.

Then, instead of attacking them, she jumped down. Hermione and Ron ran to the edge and saw her ship flying away below.

In the next instant, stormtroopers ran out onto the platform, shooting at them. "_Protego!_" Ron shouted, stopping the bolts that came close. But there were too many of them. Soon, they would be surrounded.

A battered looking freighter approached the platform and stopped at the edge. A brown-haired bearded man jumped out and opened up on the Imperials with a rapid fire blaster rifle. The stormtroopers scattered.

"Come on!" the man shouted. Ron and Hermione were already running towards him. As soon as they jumped onto the ramp, the ship flew off.

"Hermione! Are you okay?"

"Jan!" Hermione ran into the cockpit. "Thanks. You saved our lives."

"It's nothing. This is Kyle Katarn, by the way," she introduced the man.

"We have to go after that ship," Hermione declared. "Harry's there."

Ron looked at her. "He's alive," she said. "I can feel it."

"All right. Kyle and Ron," Jan said, "You two better take the guns." The two left the cockpit.

"You take the port side, I'll handle the starboard," Kyle ordered. Ron nodded.

"TIE fighters coming in," Hermione said over the ship's intercom. "Looks like a full squadron."

"Not good," said Jan.

"Do we have any missiles?" Hermione asked. "Or proton torpedoes?"

"No… We had no time to resupply."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Kyle commented.

"Hang on!" Jan yelled, throwing the ship into a twist.

The TIEs rushed by, firing green bolts at them. Ron and Kyle shot back.

"One!" Kyle shouted as an imperial ship exploded under his gun turret.

"Two!" Ron echoed, having destroyed another TIE.

"Guys, we lost half our shields in that one pass," Hermione informed them.

"Roger," Kyle said grimly. "Damn."

"Here they come!"

Jan took the ship into a steep dive. The TIEs followed, firing all the time. Kyle and Ron managed to get three of them.

"Only seven left," Ron called out.

"Bad news," Hermione called. "Shields barely holding. _Maybe_ we can sustain one more hit."

"They're coming around," Jan announced.

"Any ideas?" Ron asked.

"No…" Hermione looked out the viewport at the approaching fighters.

And gasped as all seven turned into fireballs under deadly accurate laser fire. Then five X-wings dropped out of the sky right next to them.

"Rogue Squadron to _Moldy Crow_," Wedge called out. "You asked for help?"

"Wedge!" Hermione yelled.

"What took you so long?" Kyle demanded.

"Well," Wedge said, "We had to wait for Janson to sober up."

"Hey, I resent that!" Wes protested, and the intercom filled with laughs from the rest of the Rogues.

"That's her ship," Hermione pointed at the scanner display.

"We'll never catch up to it in time," Jan said. "Not in this ship."

"We won't… but… Wedge, you see that ship – going into orbit, about seventy degrees east?"

"Yeah," the pilot replied. "It's hea— It just jumped into hyperspace."

"Damn!" Hermione slammed her fist into the console. Then she saw something else…

"_Moldy Crow _to _Millennium Falcon_," she spoke into the comm system.

"Hermione?" Leia's voice filled with surprise.

"I'm okay. Ron and I are both here… but Harry was captured."

The reply was silence for a moment. "I'm sorry," Leia said. "We've got Luke, but Vader gave Han to a bounty hunter."

"Three TIEs chasing the _Falcon_," Wedge said. "Hobbie, Tycho, get them."

"Acknowledged, Rogue Lead," Tycho's voice replied, and the two X-wings broke off.

The _Crow_ rose into orbit. "Star Destroyer," Hermione said.

"It's the _Executor_," Wedge told them. "_Falcon,_ are you in trouble?"

"… It's not my fault! They told me they fixed it!" a muffled voice came out of the speakers.

"Something's wrong with our hyperdrive," came Leia's explanation. "Go! There's nothing you can do!"

"TIEs approaching," Wes announced. "Boss, they're all heading for us… none for the _Falcon_."

"They want them alive," Hermione said.

The _Falcon_ and the two X-wings escorting it skimmed the surface of the _Executor_. The other three Rogues moved to engage the Imperial fighters.

"Hermione," Jan asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't like sitting here…" she pointed to the viewport. "I should be with them."

"Boss," Hobbie's excited voice came over the intercom, "the _Falcon_ just jumped. We're going before they can snag us with a tractor beam."

"Acknowledged, Rogue Six," Wedge replied. "Well, do we leave this party?"

"Good idea," Hermione said. "Jan?"

"Coordinates set," the other woman answered. Hermione pulled the lever, and the _Crow _vanished into hyperspace.

At the fleet rendezvous, their ship docked with the medical frigate. Wedge and Leia were there to greet them.

"Welcome back," Leia smiled.

"Wedge!" Hermione ran up and kissed him. The kiss lasted until it dawned on Hermione that they were not alone. She broke off and glared back.

"What?" she demanded.

"Nothing," Ron muttered.

Feeling awkward, Hermione changed the subject. "Where's Luke?"

Leia stirred. "In surgery. Vader cut off his hand."

Ron stirred. "And Lando?"

"He and Chewie are prepping the _Falcon_ to try to intercept the bounty hunter before he reaches Jabba the Hutt." Hermione saw how difficult it was for her to say this.

"What happened to Harry?" Wedge asked.

"That woman captured him," Ron said. "She had a ship waiting below the platform. And—"

"It's my fault," three voices blurted out at once. Hermione turned, looking for the other two.

"I shouldn't have sent you on that mission to Suran in the first place," Jan spoke up.

"Somehow, they knew, and set the trap."

"And I shouldn't have told you to stay in the forest," Wedge added.

"But..." Hermione began.

"Among us," Wedge countered, "It's your fault the least. Nor does it matter. We're going to rescue Harry. Whatever it takes."

"Thank you," Hermione stammered. "I just... need time to think." She walked off.

Several hours later, she was staring out the viewport of the frigate at the expanse of stars.

That view calmed her down… a little. She heard someone walk in and turn around.

"Wedge," she said.

"Hermione, I'm sorry…"

"Will everyone _please_ stop apologizing to me? There's nothing to be sorry for!"

"You lost one of your two best friends… I shouldn't take advantage of it."

She approached him. "Don't think of it that way. Harry was one of my _three_ best friends."

"All right," he said. "Hermione… I came to tell you you can rely on me. Harry was my friend as well – not as close as he was to you, I'm sorry to say, but still… I was afraid for you… afraid you would sink into yourself… and I want to tell you don't have to."

"Wedge… that's sweet of you. I… I love you, Wedge. I don't know when it—"

"Shh. It makes no difference when or where or how – I don't know either. When we were attacked on Suran what scared me most wasn't that I might die… or even that _you_ might die… but that either of these things would happen without you knowing my feelings. I love you, Hermione." With that, he took her head in his hands, pulled her towards him, and placed a kiss on her lips. She kissed him back, and then pulled herself closer.

"I'm not letting you go, you know," she whispered.

"I don't want you to." They resumed the kiss.

When they finally broke the kiss, Hermione smiled at Wedge. "So what will you be doing now?" he asked.

"Looking for Harry, of course… but don't worry, I won't run off. I will need help from you. Got a new X-wing?"

"You're coming back to the squadron?"

"Haven't I just said that?" She winked at him. "Someone has to watch your back. And n the past few days, I learned about the loyalty Rogues show their own. This is my best chance."

Wedge grinned at her. "Welcome back, Rogue Eight." He kissed her again.

"HERMIONE WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"What?" She jumped back from Wedge to see a furious Ron enter the room.

"I would think that Harry's capture means more to you than that!"

"More than what?"

"DON'T TRY TO PULL THAT ON ME! YOU DON'T KNOW, DO YOU? HARRY CAME HALFWAY ACROSS THE GALAXY TO RESCUE **YOU, **AND YOU… YOU DON'T CARE AT ALL!"

"Of course I care, w—"

"DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT!" Ron stomped out.

"Now wait one moment," Wedge protested, but Hermione cut him off and headed after

Ron.

"Ron, wait!"

He turned around. "What? Not having enough fun with your new boyfriend?"

"Ron, you don't—"

"I understand everything. How can I consider you my friend when I know that… that THIS is what you'll do if _I_ need help? I'm better off not counting on you in the first place."

"Now just one second!" she yelled at him. "Where do those stupid ideas you get come from? Do you think that Wedge doesn't care what happened to Harry as well? Do you think he won't help? Do you think the rest of the Rogues will be worthless in a rescue attempt? DO YOU THINK YOU STAND A BETTER CHANCE ALONE? Is this about pride, Ron?"

Ron glared at her. "You believe that if you want." He turned away.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business." He didn't give a single glance behind.

Ron hadn't planned this, but his anger made him determined to get away. And so, he was sitting next to Chewie and Lando in the _Millennium Falcon_, preparing to leave.

"Luke," Lando said, "we're ready for takeoff."

"Good luck, Lando." Luke said.

"When we find Jabba the Hutt and that bounty hunter, we'll contact you." Chewie seconded that with a growl. Ron didn't know whether he would stay with them or head off on a search of his own, but at least he'd be doing something… _Unlike Hermione_.

"I'll meet you at the rendezvous point on Tatooine," Luke said.

"Princess, we'll find Han. I promise."

"Chewie," Luke said, "I'll be waiting for your signal. May the Force be with you." Lando took the Falcon away from the medical frigate and headed towards the galaxy.

Ron quietly sat, watching. "What's wrong?" Lando asked him.

"Nothing," he lied. Everything felt wrong. But he couldn't go back now. What was done was done.

When Hermione got to her quarters, she found two things lying on her bed, both unexpected. The first was Harry's invisibility cloak. _Why would Ron give me this, after what happened?_ The second item was a note from Ron.

-_Maybe this'll help you remember Harry, although I doubt it. Chewbacca is a more reliable friend than you will ever be, so I'm going to stick with him._

That night, she cried.


	34. Interlude 2

**Interlude 2.**

"Do you think it's possible?"

"What? Harry, Ron, and Hermione being alive, or…"

"Or You-Know-Who… being alive as well?"

"Yes."

"I have told you before, I _know_ they're still alive."

"How?"

"I just do, Ginny."

"I wish I could believe that. But with them disappearing three years ago… and You-Know-Who not heard from…"

"And I know You-Know-Who is also alive..." Neville said.

"Of course he is," Luna Lovegood interjected. "He's possessing the Warblers' captain."

Ginny stared at Luna, and shook her head. Turning back to Neville, she said, "Fred and George, of all people…"

"Well, it kind of makes sense," Luna said. "I mean, if you're selling things, you need information."

"Yeah, but…"

Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor Minerva McGonagall entered the room, followed by Arthur Weasley.

"Dad!" Ginny shouted, and hugged him.

"Ginny, I haven't seen you in ages!"

McGonagall interrupted them. "Mr. Longbottom. I didn't exactly tell you to come alone, but…"

"Please, Professor," Neville begged. "Ginny…" Yesterday, Neville got an owl from McGonagall, asking him to come, and, because it concerned Harry, Ron, and Hermione, he asked Ginny to come along. And Luna… Luna was his girlfriend, and she got jealous rather easily, so the only way he saw to show her that there was nothing going on between him and Ginny was to have her come along. He hoped McGonagall wouldn't mind.

"Oh, I suppose it's all right," McGonagall nodded.

"Professor, please… is my brother alive? Is Harry alive?" Ginny asked, worried. Neville didn't blame her… she really liked Harry… perhaps even loved him… and she had already lost one brother in the war.

"I'm sorry to say I don't know," McGonagall said. "I've received this," she took out a small silver ball, "From the Weasley twins. Unfortunately, it's been sealed with a Blood Concordat," Mr. Weasley gasped at that, "So I couldn't open it."

"A what?" Neville asked. He couldn't remember whether they've ever been taught this.

Mr. Weasley was grim. "A Blood Concordat is a charm used to secure messages or doors such that only someone related to the caster by blood can open it. It is the most secure way to seal something if you have no time to prepare any device or potion."

"Why isn't it used more often?" Luna asked curiously.

"For one thing, you never know _all_ your relatives. The Concordat can be adjusted for different degrees of relation, but it's still always possible that a brother or sister you never knew might show up. For another, many wizards don't like it because it seems to validate the emphasis on blood relations those espousing the superiority of pure-bloods preach."

"Well, we'd better open it," Ginny said and picked the ball up.

A flash of light came out of the ball, and then, they were suddenly standing in a different place.

It was a moonless night, and they were standing on the shore of a large river, near an ancient-looking house. Two figures were standing on the balcony.

"Where are we?" Ginny whispered.

"The message didn't say, in case it got intercepted."

"Shh!" Neville demanded.

"So Potter is there," they heard a voice that all of them recognized, despite many years since meeting the man behind it.

"Severus?" McGonagall gasped.

"Do you doubt my word?" a second, cold, hissing voice replied.

"Of course not… but it all seems…"

"Unbelievable? Maybe so… Perhaps… the way the existence of wizards would seem to a Muggle?"

"You don't want me to go with you?"

"I can handle it. Keep an eye on the fools from the Order of the Phoenix."

"I will, Master."

"Potter will be destroyed soon."

And then, one of the shadow figures jumped off the balcony.

But he didn't hit the ground. Instead, Neville saw him vanish. There was no flash, no smoke, no sound. The Dark Lord—Neville had no doubt who he was—was gone.

And then they were back in McGonagall's office, Ginny holding the silver ball in her hand. She and Luna stood with eyes wide open. "Are you okay?" Neville asked.

"Yeah…" Ginny whispered. Luna said nothing.

Neville turned to McGonagall. "Is that why you called me here?"

"Yes. Did You-Know-Who disappear the same way Harry did?"

"I think so. It was like that—no sounds, nothing to mark it. They just vanished."

"I see."

"Professor?"

"Yes?"

"What will we do?"

"I have not the faintest idea, Mr. Longbottom."

"But we can't give up on looking for Harry," Neville insisted.

"We're not. We just need a place to start."

"I think I can help with that," a new voice broke in. Neville saw a shimmering, semi-transparent figure, similar, but not quite like a ghost, of a tall old man. The man had short white hair, and wore a white tunic underneath heavy brown robes. He smiled at them.

"Who are you?" Neville asked, not knowing what he was seeing. It clearly wasn't a live person, but it didn't behave like a ghost, either. Instead of flying, the man walked on the floor, stepped around obstacles, and even sat down in a chair. Luna moved closer to Neville, and grasped his arm. Ginny stared, dumbstruck.

"You may call me Ben," the man said.


	35. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32.**

In the months following the disaster at Bespin, Ron and Hermione, although they hadn't said so much as a word to each other, both looked for chances to find out about Harry everywhere they went. They had no luck, but neither of them would believe that Harry was dead. Not until they saw a body. Maybe not even then

They never got any hints of Harry, or of the mysterious woman who captured him. But if a way for them to return home would open now, neither of them would take it. _That_ would be real betrayal.

Hermione continued flying with Rogue Squadron, growing closer to Wedge. Ron, soon after Bespin, resumed working for Intelligence, volunteering for the most dangerous missions. And while the Rebellion was gaining steam, there were rumors, whispers… the Empire was definitely planning something big. Big and secret—which meant it couldn't be good.

Hermione looked at the clear blue sky. Despite the light clothing she wore, she was drenched in sweat. _It's got to be at least a hundred fifty degrees_, she thought. _How could Luke live here? And after he left, how did he manage to get used to Hoth?_

She stood outside the hangar where Jabba the Hutt – an enormous slug who headed a star-spanning criminal empire – kept a number of vehicles, including a large repulsorcraft called the _Khetana_, which he used for trips to the desert. Hermione and Lando infiltrated the place sometime ago, in order to rescue Han Solo, whose frozen form was now on display in Jabba's audience chamber. The first time Hermione saw it, fear came over her. She shuddered at the thought of Harry being in a similar predicament.

Lando had himself hired as one of Jabba's guards. Since the Hutt wouldn't have a woman guard, that option was not available to Hermione. Not wishing to pose as a dancing girl – doing that would be both humiliating and dangerous (and Wedge would kill her if he ever found out) – she had only one choice. And so, she was here, covered in Harry's invisibility cloak, which she would only take off for a few minutes to eat something in the dead of night. She constantly watched her surroundings. In addition to her wand, she had a blaster at her hip, but it did not make her feel any more secure.

She took a last breath of fresh air and headed back into the palace. One reason she came up was to catch her breath. _If it didn't smell so bad already, they'd find me with or without the cloak,_ she thought. Sitting invisible in Jabba's court was a good way to gather information, but watching everything that went on in there… She hoped today would be a relatively quiet day.

Bib Fortuna, Jabba's Twi'lek majordomo, entered the throne room and stepped up to his sleeping master. Behind him came two very familiar figures, R2-D2 and C-3PO.

Hermione smiled. _Looks like Luke's plan is in motion_.

The droids stopped in front of Jabba. "The message, Artoo, the message," Threepio urged.

The astromech droid beeped, turned his domed head, and his projector lighted up. An image shimmered and resolved itself into a hologram of Luke Skywalker. He stood in a simple black tunic, his lightsaber hanging on his belt.

"Greetings, Exalted One," the hologram said. Hermione snickered. Politeness was good, but this might be going just a bit too far. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and friend to Captain Solo. I know you are powerful, mighty Jabba, and that your anger with Solo must be equally powerful. I seek an audience with your greatness to bargain for Solo's life." There was a short burst of laughter from the rest of the court.

"With your wisdom," at this point, Hermione had to struggle not to burst out laughing, "I am sure we can work out an arrangement that would be mutually beneficial, and will allow us to avoid any unpleasant confrontations. As a token of my good will, I present to you a gift – these two droids."

"What did he say?" Threepio was shocked.

"Both are hard-working, and will serve you well," the hologram finished and vanished.

Hermione knew that Luke's plan was to infiltrate everyone – himself, her, Lando, Leia, Chewie, and the droids – into Jabba's entourage. She hoped it would work. Luke said Artoo had special programming that allowed him to ignore restraining bolts that might be placed on him. She was still worried. She didn't know Luke's exact plan, only that they should try to stay together. So she watched the proceedings.

"Artoo," Threepio insisted to his companion, "you're playing the wrong message."

Jabba laughed. Hermione never fount time to learn Huttese, but you couldn't live in this palace for more than a day without picking some up. "…no bargain…" Jabba was saying. "….my favorite… Solo where he is…" he pointed at the carbonite block.

"It's Captain Solo!" Threepio exclaimed. "And he is still frozen in carbonite!" Artoo beeped. The Gamorrean guards led the droids away.

The court resumed its revelry. Hermione left to steal something from the kitchen to drink. Even in the basement, the heat of Tatooine could make you thirsty.

XXXXXXXX

Ron looked around himself in awe, despite the fact that he was already here for several hours. _You could probably live here for years,_ he thought, _and not cease to be amazed_. Buildings many miles tall rose to the sky. The city extended beyond the horizon. Millions of aerial vehicles moved over the artificial landscape on hundreds of levels of traffic lanes. Ron couldn't even imagine how far down you had to go before you found anything natural. Despite what Hermione told him about Eriadu, he wasn't prepared for this. This was bigger and grander than the other city-covered planet. This was Coruscant.

Coruscant. The capital of the Empire. In fact, Ron saw the Imperial palace during his descent. The palace was the tallest building on the planet, and Ron suspected he wasn't the only one who got a creepy feeling that the Emperor could see everything from there. He shook his head. He had to concentrate on his mission. When he joined Intelligence, the first thing they told him was this: in the field, you pay attention, or you die. It was all too true.

He entered a bar where he was supposed to meet his contact. The Empire was up to something big, and the job of Alliance Intelligence was to find out what. Any information about this project was top priority. Ron wasn't supposed to be here, but the Alliance had a valuable agent inside the Imperial military headquarters, and his regular contact was somehow identified, and the Imperials tried to arrest her. She tried to fight, and was killed. The information was too valuable to let it pass, however, and Ron was sent to pick it up. It was supposed to be easy. Ron had a feeling it wouldn't be.

"Corellian ale," he ordered. He didn't want to drink, but not getting anything would get him noticed. Before he headed here, he took a pill that would neutralize the alcohol in his blood. Getting drunk right now was a _very_ bad idea. He might have to escape in a hurry, which would mean he'd need to fly something. From what he'd heard, Coruscant police did not look favorably on drunken pilots.

Ron picked a table in a corner next to a window. He sipped his ale, watching the crowd. Most of the patrons were humans, but he saw two Rodians, a Twi'lek, a Bothan, and several aliens he didn't recognize. He made sure to arrive a little bit early so he could get stock of the surroundings. Glancing at his chrono, he saw that it was almost time.

"Can I sit here?" a man dressed in black approached his table. Ron recognized the code phrase that meant things were okay. Had the man used _may_ instead of _can_, that would mean trouble.

"If you wish," Ron replied neutrally.

The man left and returned with two mugs of lomin-ale. That was the final confirmation Ron needed. "So, what brings you here?" he asked.

"Business. I have information to sell that certain... _parties_ may find valuable."

"Could I be one of those parties?"

"I wouldn't know. Here's what the information is, stranger." The man showed Ron a datapad. Of course, it didn't openly say that the information was about a secret Imperial military project. In fact, the screen displayed only one word. _Coronet_. Ron nodded. That was the code word assigned to this particular piece of intelligence.

"How much?" Ron asked.

"Four thousand."

"Three," Ron haggled. This was for anyone who might listen in. The actual payment was already agreed upon.

"Three point seven," the man offered.

"Three and a half."

"Deal." Ron and the man both took out datacards. Ron's contained access codes to a secret bank account, where the money was already deposited. Ron took the man's card, finished his ale, and prepared to leave.

"One moment," the man said and before Ron could do anything, he saw the man point a blaster at him. "You're under arrest, rebel."


	36. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33.**

Harry opened his eyes, an immediately shut them again in the face of bright light. Rising, he looked around. He was dressed in tight black pants, barefoot, without a shirt. The room he was in had no windows or furniture—just a white floor, walls, and ceiling. He had no idea where he was, except he wasn't in hyperspace. Nor did he know how much time had passed since his battle with the red-headed woman. As far as he was concerned, it could have been ten minutes, ten days, or ten years. He stood up and stretched out.

A door opened in front of him. Two tall figures in bright red robes and helmets waked in and stood on either side of the doorway. They were followed by a short man in black robes. Harry's scar began to hurt more strongly than anything he encountered since Voldemort touched him. Which meant… this could only be one man. He recognized him from the countless pictures he'd seen. Emperor Palpatine, the epitome of evil, stepped in the room.

The Emperor's face was distorted, wrinkled, and pale. If Harry hadn't seen similar disfigurement on Voldemort, that alone would have put fear into him… even without the eerie yellow—he blinked… yes, they were yellow—eyes.

Suddenly, he got an idea. He had the Force. He could kill the Emperor—and the evil. He would probably die, but it would be worth it.

He reached into the Force and jumped towards the Emperor, summoning one of the red guards' weapons—

And was thrown back with such force that he crashed into the opposite wall of the room. He moaned from the pain.

"That was your first lesson, my young apprentice," the Emperor said. "Nothing can match the power of the dark side of the Force."

Harry got up. "What do you want?"

"Your knowledge in matters of the Force is severely lacking. That oversight will be corrected, and you will take your place at my side."

"I am not interested in becoming your apprentice."

"It is your destiny," the Emperor told him. "Your friends have abandoned you. I am the only one who will give you the power to avenge your parents."

Harry was shocked. "You know?"

"I can feel your anger… your desire for revenge… it has given you focus for all these years…"

"You're wrong," said Harry, but there was no conviction in his voice.

The Emperor must have noticed that.

"Oh no, my young apprentice… you will fulfill your destiny, as I have foreseen."

"My destiny… everyone always talks about my destiny… the prophecy..."

"Oh, that," the Emperor said. "And how does that make me wrong? You can destroy Voldemort. Using the dark side of the Force."

_What if he's right?_ That thought was unexpected, and uncomfortable. Dumbledore always said...

_Dumbledore got himself killed. He makes mistakes. He could have made one here_.

_He's no different from Voldemort_. _I will not do it._

"No," Harry moved to try another attack.

The Emperor raised his hands, and blue-white lightning streamed from his fingers.

Harry never felt such pain… even Voldemort's Cruciatus Curse could be resisted, but here, Harry vainly tried to summon the Force to block the onslaught. The seconds felt like years, and then Harry's vision blurred and he lost consciousness.

XXXXXXXX

When Hermione returned to the throne room, everybody was watching a dance. The Twi'lek girl – Hermione wasn't able to learn her name – gracefully twirled on the floor, almost in ecstasy. Most people in the room watched intently, and they seemed to like it. Hermione might have enjoyed the performance in other circumstances, but here, she was totally disgusted by the spectacle of the girl held by Jabba on a chain, like an animal. _That's how the Hutts see all other species_, she remembered Lando telling her.

Before she went here, Luke said that shortly after he came, he tried to free two Twi'lek slave girls who were being sent to Jabba. But one of them, for some strange reason, refused to come. She wondered if this was her. _Probably_, she decided. _She also probably wishes she came now_. She wished she could help her, but here was nothing she could do. She would be forced to uncover herself, and that would mean a shootout with Jabba's thugs. Outnumbered like this, she wasn't confident she'd be able to escape – and if she did, it meant a trek across the desert, with no supplies, under pursuit. Still, she hated this feeling of being helpless.

She kept scanning the room, looking for possible trouble – or, more precisely, for _maximum_ possible trouble.

This wasn't Lando's guard shift, so Han's friend wasn't here. Jabba himself wouldn't be able to do much, and he was too concentrated on food, drink, and dance anyway. Jabba's guards – even the non-Gamorrean ones – were generally untrained thugs. She could take any three of them – well, except for Lando. The little creature sitting on Jabba's tail? Hermione stifled a laugh. She decided there was only one serious danger in this room. The bounty hunter who tracked Ron, Han, and Leia to Bespin for Vader. The figure in a green helmet standing slightly off to the side, like Hermione appearing to scan the room. Boba Fett.

As long as she was wearing her cloak, she was reasonably safe. Fett's helmet might have had heat sensors, but the cloak worked on that, too – stormtroopers couldn't see her when she wore it. But magic or not, she wasn't eager to take him on. She heard too many stories about the bounty hunter – and those were from the people who survived the encounter.

Jabba was now pulling the dancing girl towards him. She was resisting… _This is too much_, Hermione thought. She couldn't stand it anymore, so she drew her wand and gave the incantation, as quickly as possible. The girl's chain broke, and the Twi'lek, after a shock, ran into a corridor. Hermione followed. Breaking the chain and then leaving her to try to escape by herself would probably be worse than doing nothing.

Having used the Confundus charm to evade put the Gamorreans off their trail, Hermione ran up to the Twi'lek and took off her cloak. "Stop!" she yelled. "I won't hurt you!"

The dancer did stop running, but Hermione could see she was afraid. "It's all right. I'm not working for him." She extended her hand. "Let me help you."

Hermione hoped the girl could understand her. She herself didn't speak Twi'leki, never even heard it spoken. But she didn't need to. "Who are you?" the dancer asked, fright in her voice.

"Shh… let's hide in here. She led her into a small room nearby, and closed the door.

"It's okay," she said. "You're safe now." Not quite true—not true at all, in fact; but this was not the time for those subtleties. "And that slug will get what's coming to him soon enough. Here," she waved her wand and a few plates of food appeared. "You hungry?"

The Twi'lek didn't reply, cowering in fear. _Great, what have I done?_ She sat down and took some food herself. "I'm not trying to poison you."

"But how…"

"I'm sorry. I can't explain, really. But it'll be okay, I promise."

"Are you with Luke?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. He told me he tried to rescue two Twi'lek dancers from Fortuna. Were you…?"

The Twi'lek nodded, seemingly convinced. She approached and started eating. Hermione stood up. "I have to go. Stay here till tomorrow… I'll come back for you, and get you back to your friend." She looked around, thought about it, and made her decision. "Oh. No one should come in here, this is pretty remote, but just in case…," she took out her blaster and handed it to the girl. The Twi'lek took it with hesitation. Hermione smiled to reassure her.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Ooola," the Twi'lek replied.

"I'm Hermione. Nice to meet you."

"Thank you," the girl said.

"Don't worry," Hermione said as she left the room. Remembering how magic scared the Twi'lek the first time she used it, she waited till she was out of her sight before putting on the invisibility cloak. That girl was scared enough already, and Hermione could hardly blame her.


	37. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34.**

Ron saw four other men step out of the crowd with raised blasters. Two stormtroopers entered the bar from the back door. In the window, Ron saw more standing outside.

A thousand thoughts raced through Ron's mind as he was marched out of the bar at blasterpoint, but none were encouraging. He was led down the walkway, past the bar, toward a group of speeders. In the largest, stormtroopers were already sitting, aiming their weapons at him. He was obviously going to be put in the third row, with at least six stormtroopers needing only to pull the triggers to kill him.

An idea flashed to him. He didn't think about what he was doing—if he had, he would probably balk. As he walked up to the speeder, he took his last step just a bit faster then the others, and then, quickly, broke into a run, jumped over the stormtrooper sitting ahead of him, and plunged into the chasm below.

As he was falling, he drew the wand, and then noticed that the stormtrooper he jumped over had grabbed onto his leg and fell out with him.

"_Stupefy!_" he shouted, kicking the unconscious Imperial away. The white form remained nearby. That felt weird. _Well, what did you expect, Weasley? That he'd fall down?_

"_Accio Firebolt!_" he cried. He hid the broom in a niche right outside the bar, just in case quick escape became necessary. _Well, it has…_ he thought grimly, and then caught the approaching Firebolt.

He stabilized himself and hovered for a few moments, pondering what he'd just done. His first thought that the fact that he even _got_ the idea, much less acted on it, proved him crazy. But now that the danger passed, the full extend of it hit him. Now, he understood Han Solo when the smuggler flew into an asteroid field, attacked a Star Destroyer in the _Falcon_, and went out into the Hoth night after Luke. _You're only crazy if you die_. _If you live, you're just good._

Nevertheless, he realized he wasn't in the best possible situation. The Imperials were likely looking for him, and the best thing would be to get off this planet as quickly as possible. He failed in his mission, but trying to do anything about that now would be pointless. He turned and headed further down.

When he got to his destination, he had another unpleasant surprise waiting for him.

Ron blinked, but there was no doubt about what he saw. The ship he had flow in—a modified Z-95 Headhunter—was gone without a trace.

_Damn_. In the end, it made no difference whether it had been stolen by petty thieves or impounded by the Empire—except that in the latter case, he would be arrested immediately upon showing up at that platform looking for it. He lowered his binoculars.

_I have to get off this planet_, he thought again. Public spaceports were out—his picture was undoubtedly recorded, and he wouldn't even make it through the lobby. There were ways around it, but he knew he wouldn't be able to make Polyjuice Potion here. He took the only option available. Getting back on his broomstick, he descended downward, into the lower levels of Coruscant.

After landing, he didn't exactly know where he was going, but despite his frequently making fun of Harry about going by pure feeling against all reason, he quite often followed his instincts as well. As soon as he thought that, he shook his head in frustration. _Harry…_ He didn't think Harry was dead, but that didn't help him cope with it. Ever since Harry was torn from them, he and Hermione hadn't spoken to each other. Ron couldn't tell whether it was an accident—the opportunities to meet weren't ample, as the Alliance kept them both very busy—or whether they were instinctively avoiding each other. He hated himself for lashing out at Hermione after Bespin. _I must apologize,_ he thought. _And to apologize, I have to make it out of here alive._

His thoughts were interrupted by blaster fire. Instinct took over. He squashed himself against the nearest building and drew his wand. Getting the broomstick out, he got on it and took off, circling his way around the building. Then he kicked off, flying up as fast as possible…

As soon as he cleared the roof, he saw a short young woman running from Imperial stormtroopers. She was sporadically firing her blaster, and even taking down some enemies, but the odds weren't good.

Ron dropped in front of her. "_Protego! Stupefy!_" he shouted, confusing the Imperials for a moment. "Are you all right?" he turned to the woman, and with a surprise, recognized her. "Jan?"

"Ron Weasley?" Jan Ors coughed.

"Hop on," he said, pointing to his broomstick.

"Is it safe?"

"Safer than getting shot at. _Impedimenta!_ Hurry!"

Jan got behind him. "Hold on tight," Ron told her, and she grabbed on to him.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" he shouted, producing a silver-white lion that rushed the Imperial soldiers.

The stormtroopers tried to shoot them down as they took off, but the Patronus, while it couldn't harm them, was a very good distraction. Ron dodged the few blasts that came close and dropped further down into the lower city. "Where to?" he asked.

"The old industrial district," Jan replied. "And thanks. This makes us even."

Ron smiled. "Keeping score, eh? Well, we're not out of this yet."

They entered an abandoned building through a broken window. "_Lumos,_" Ron muttered, raising his wand and helping Jan off the Firebolt. "You've been here before/"

"Yeah. Through that door," she pointed to the left end of the corridor.

The door had a lock on it, but it was an ordinary mechanical one. "_Alohomora!_" Ron said, opening the way.

They stepped into a small room, with a few crates and a pile of blankets in a corner. Jan lay down there.

"You sure you're okay?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I just need to rest. I haven't had sleep in—" Jan fell quiet.

"Sleep well, Jan," Ron whispered and got up. He knew Jan was tired even without her telling so, and for now, their getting out safely was up to him. He placed several warding spells on the room and left to explore—or wander to give himself something to do, depending on the results he would achieve.

XXXXXXXX

Harry awoke in a tall, nearly circular room, with a grated metal floor. Above him were several windows covered by transparisteel, and Harry noticed, the characteristic shimmering shields.

He didn't see anyone in the windows, and almost got ready to jump using the Force to get a better look, when the Emperor's voice boomed from somewhere.

"Save your strength, young Potter," the Emperor said. "You will need it to pass the test."

"Test?" Harry inadvertently asked.

"You will learn to use your anger, and your hatred. The Jedi lied to you. Anger is a weapon. A very useful weapon."

"No," Harry said, "You're wrong."

A mocking laugh was the reply. "Think, Potter. Which one of us has more to teach the other?"

"I will not be your apprentice."

"You will fulfill your destiny." Then four doors retracted and droids unlike any Harry had ever seen stepped out.

The droids were walking like humans. They had thin limbs, narrow bodies, and elongated heads. Their hands, however, held fingers like humans', and held blaster rifles.

"Shoot him!" the lead droid with gold pads painted on his shoulders said.

"Roger, roger," the other droids replied in unison and raised their blasters.

Harry leaped out of the way of blaster bolts. He landed and used the Force to push through the formation. He then summoned two blaster rifles and aimed them.

Pain stung as a bolt impacted his leg. He cursed himself for allowing this distraction and leaped away. He more felt than saw that he'd land in the way of blaster fire, and so hurled two droids into the wall. They smashed, and pieces flew apart. Harry landed, and opened fire with both of his blasters, before rolling away from more blaster bolts. He ran in zigzags to the other side of the room, shot the lone droid that was there and turned around to blast the rest.

As he fired his blasters, he tried to count the droids. Something didn't feel right… there were more droids in the room than he originally saw march out. They must have gotten reinforcements. Enraged, he rushed the droids, firing blasters, tossing them aside with the Force, and using the Force to snap their necks as if they were living creatures. Within seconds, all there was in the room was a panting Harry Potter, bleeding out of his leg, and four piles of battle droids stacked to black entrances to the room. Harry held blasters, ready to shoot should anyone try to come through any of these doors.

Harry tried to do some sort of healing on his leg wound, but the strength wouldn't come. Then he heard the Emperor.

"See what how powerful a weapon anger could be. No one else would teach you that. No one else would give you the tools to destroy your enemy."

"I got wounded," Harry tried to argue.

"You got both wounds _before_ you released yourself." Harry, shocked, realized the Emperor was right. That hurt more than either physical wound.

The Emperor must have felt it. "You know," he said.

"That still doesn't make me your apprentice."

"Oh, but you are one, young Potter. Soon, you will call me Master." Another door opened, and the emperor himself entered the room.

"Never!" Harry cried out, spun and opened fire.

The reply was lightning, which knocked both guns out his hands. Harry's attempt at blocking it was no more successful than last time, and now, the Emperor seemed to concentrate directly on his wounds. Harry screamed in pain before passing out again.


	38. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35.**

When Hermione got back, she saw Jabba's guards lead Chewbacca away into the dungeons. _So Leia's here_, she thought. Sure enough, there was the masked bounty hunter Boushh—Leia's disguise. She reminded herself to ask, just out of curiosity, where the real Boushh was. Then—

Something tingled in her mind. Looking around, she saw Boba Fett talking to a tall, pale woman wearing a dancer's outfit. _She's more than a dancer_, it hit her. _But what else is she?_

Hermione milled about for a while, listened into a few conversations, but didn't find out anything useful. The strange woman disappeared somewhere, and eavesdropping on Boba Fett was useless, dangerous, and boring. But in a secluded corridor, she met up with Leia.

"You all right?"

"Fine," Leia said from behind her mask. "You?"

"Except for the smell, sure."

"Strange… talking to someone who isn't there."

"I'm here, Leia. You saw Han?"

"I'm getting him out tonight."

"Need help?"

"I'll be okay in the throne room. It's getting out of the palace that will complicate things. Just get the guards out of our way."

"You aren't asking for much, are you?" Hermione said. "Okay, I'll do it. Good luck."

A Gamorrean guard approached, and Hermione left… even a Gamorrean would decide that a voice coming out of nowhere was strange. She went to check on the Twi'lek girl, found her sleeping, and not wishing to disturb her, secluded herself in another chamber and summoned food from the kitchens. She needed energy… and she needed time to think. She suddenly wished that either Wedge or Ron were here. Ron… since he left with Lando and Chewie right after Harry's capture, they have not talked. He resumed his work in Intelligence, and although he did come to headquarters several times in recent months, they never ran into each other. She wasn't sure if she should consider that a good or a bad thing. What would he say? What could she say? They almost got the chance to talk last time he came… almost. If she hadn't been in a bacta tank at the time… but Wedge said he talked to Ron, although Ron asked him to keep the conversation secret. From his tone, however, Wedge didn't consider Ron an enemy… or even a rival for her love.

Love.

_What an inconvenient time for it to happen_. She wouldn't lie to herself—she loved Wedge. And she felt guilty over it. Guilty that she could feel happy while Harry… She couldn't blame Ron for that guilt, no matter how much she might want to. Ron simply said it with all the subtlety of a mad giant, but she would have felt that guilt regardless. _Survivor's guilt_, the older pilots called it. _Wait a minute… that assumes Harry is dead_. That's what was worst about it: she didn't know. She believed Harry was alive. She didn't think Ron would give up hope either. But her relationship with Wedge… she didn't have the strength to let it go, and she didn't have the courage to pursue it further… She took a breath. There was also a no small matter of Wedge being her commanding officer… although he hinted that that might not be the case for much longer. She sort of hoped it was true. At least that part of the problem would disappear.

_Come on, Hermione. People have been struggling with love for millennia. You think you'll be able to figure it out?_ She sighed. She and Wedge would have a long talk when she got back to headquarters. Whether anything definite would come out of it… _Right now, I'd better concentrate on getting out of this palace with everyone_. She put the cloak back on, stepped out into the corridor, and headed back towards the throne room. Night had fallen on the palace, and she had to put in extra effort not to be heard.

She stood guard outside the throne room, ready to clear the way for escape. Holding her wand at the ready, she scanned the corridor. Everything was quiet… no one could imagine that hardly an hour before, this place was the site of the loudest party she'd ever seen…

Thump. Leia must have lowered the carbonite block. _Come on,_ Hermione thought.

"Just relax," she heard Leia say. The voice was still Boushh's, however. Hermione remembered her time spent petrified in her second year. If Han went through anything similar…

"Your eyesight will return in time." Leia said. _Eyesight?_ _Han is blind? Oh, this is not good._ Hermione stepped down several steps. Han and Leia might need quick help.

"Where am I?" Han asked. _He sounds so weak… I hope he's okay_.

"Jabba's palace," Leia said.

"Who are you?" Han demanded.

There was a pause. Then, Leia's real voice came over.

"Someone who loves you."

Hermione would have liked to talk about Wedge with Leia… but couldn't bring herself to it, knowing the pain it would cause the princess… If—_no, when_, she told herself—they got out, they would be able to do that…

And then, a very loud, very ugly laugh boomed through the throne room. Jabba wasn't sleeping at all… Hermione rushed down the stairs to see Leia and Han stand in front of the slug, Han supported by the princess. It took Hermione one glance to forego any attempt to escape. When she saved the Twi'lek girl, the room was full of people, and the guards were concentrating on protecting Jabba, not preventing escape. Now...

"…too late for that, Solo," Hermione heard Jabba say. "…smuggler… you're Bantha fodder."

"Look…" Han began, but Jabba cut him off.

"Take him away," he said. Guards pulled Han away from Leia and pushed him towards the dungeons.

"Jabba, I'll pay you triple! You're throwing away a fortune here, don't be a fool!" Han yelled, but the slug ignored him.

"Bring her to me," he ordered, gesturing at Leia. The guards did so… one of them, Hermione then noticed, was Lando…

"We have powerful friends," Leia said defiantly. "You're going to regret this."

"I'm sure," Jabba mocked her, and pulled Leia towards him.

"Ugh!" was all the princess could manage. Hermione was so disgusted that she was ready to start wrecking havoc, consequences be damned. The slug pushed her back into the arms of the guards and gave an order Hermione didn't quite understand. Something about "preparing." As she turned to leave, she got a glimpse of the pale woman. _What is she doing here? And is that…_ No way. It couldn't be… But the woman quickly covered it up by the carefully designed dancer's outfit. Nevertheless, Hermione has seen enough not to mistake anything else for a lightsaber. _I was wrong,_ she decided. _Boba Fett is not the only serious threat here_.

She left the throne room, but the woman already disappeared. Hermione spent several hours looking for her, and finally gave up on it and decided to get some sleep. Tomorrow would be a busy day.

XXXXXXXX

The warding spells still worked, so Ron wasn't afraid of an Imperial ambush as he entered their hiding room. But unlike his previous visits, he _was_ ambushed. By an awake Jan Ors armed with her blaster.

"Oh, Ron, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I should have knocked, or something. Rest well?"

"I guess so. How long did I sleep?"

"I'm not sure. My chrono was broken when they arrested me."

Jan stared at him. "Long story," he said. "That was early morning—still dark. I met up with you about two hours later." _Has it really been that fast?_ "And," he continued, "It took us twenty minutes or so to get here. You slept all day and all night—dawn was an hour ago. So there you have it."

"And you?"

"Magic can help in that area. "Don't worry. I'm not about to collapse."

He dug into his bag and handed Jan a ration bar. "Hungry?"

"Thanks," Jan took it. "How much do we have?"

"Not that much. Most of my supplies were in my ship. You?"

"Same. They impounded it."

When Ron didn't answer, Jan continued. "When I came for it, they were waiting."

"Good thing I didn't try it. I saw the ship gone and didn't even approach that landing pad."

"You're smarter than I am."

"Nonsense. You want to know how I got arrested? Oldest trick in the book. My contact either was a double agent, or they caught him and managed to get all the information needed to fool me. I pick up the datacard and get ready to leave, when he pulls a blaster on me. And I wasn't ready for it."

"How did you get away?"

"Oh, that's even better. I jumped down."

"Huh?"

"Just as they were leading me to a speeder, I jumped, summoned the broomstick as I fell, and flew off. The imps didn't count on magic, obviously."

Jan laughed.

"What? Reconsidering your assessment of my intelligence? Don't' be afraid to admit it. Half the time, I think I'm crazy myself."

Jan smiled. "Remind me to tell you some of the things I did back in the day… including openly admitting myself as a Rebel to an Imperial officer who believed the Rebels killed his family."

"Kyle Katarn?" Ron guessed, but he already knew. "Where is he now?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, Kyle. And he… well, he started looking into who exactly killed his father."

"It wasn't the Rebellion, like he thought?"

"It was an Imperial attack designed to look like a Rebel raid. Beyond that, we don't know. Kyle thinks it was something more—and his hunches are usually right. I offered to help, but he joked and said he'd contact me when he'd head into _real_ danger. How's your friend, Hermione?"

Ron didn't bother trying to hide his discomfort at the question. "Why?"

Jan frowned. "Has something happened? Is she okay?"

"Yeah," Ron growled. "Something happened."

"Well? You sound like you think it was your fault, even though you know it really wasn't," she offered.

Ron stumbled. "Are you some kind of mind reader?"

"Well, there may have been a Jedi on my mother's side of the family a few generations back… but really, no. I've just heard that tone before. So I guessed. I think Hermione is my friend, too. I want to help, if I can. Come on, tell me."

Ron's first impulse was to try to think of a polite way to tell Jan to mind her own business. Since he couldn't, and since he didn't want to repeat what happened with Hermione with Jan, he took the only possible option. He told her. He told her what happened in the aftermath of Bespin, and then he told of his last visit to the fleet before heading to Coruscant.


	39. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36.**

Most people, including Jabba himself, were still sleeping. Even Leia—whom the Hutt had dressed in a metal bikini—had dozed off. Hermione carefully approached Jabba and touched Leia's hand. The princess immediately jumped wide awake.

"It's just me," Hermione whispered.

"Oh, sorry."

"Luke's coming, isn't he?"

"Yeah…"

"Don't worry."

"Easy for you to say, sitting there invisible! Can't you get me out of here with your magic?"

"And leave Han and Chewie for Jabba to take out his wrath on?"

"Right…"

"Best wait for Luke…"

"Here he comes," Leia whispered. Hermione immediately stepped away.

Luke, wearing black robes, walked into the throne room, following Bib Fortuna.

"At last, Master Luke has come to rescue me!" Threepio explained from behind the Hutt.

The Twi'lek walked up to Jabba and whispered into his ear. "Master," he said.

Jabba's eyes opened. The majordomo continued. "Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight."

"I told you not… him," Hermione made out Jabba's words.

"I must be allowed to speak," Luke said. He gave a short glance towards her, so Hermione figured he used the Force to figure out where she was standing… she hoped no one else would be able to do the same.

Fortuna whispered something else to his master. At that, Jabba lashed out. "…fool!" he said. "He's using… Jedi…"

Luke took off his hood. "You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookiee to me," he said.

"Your… work on me, boy," Jabba replied.

"Nevertheless, I am taking Captain Solo—and his friends. You can either profit from this—or be destroyed. It's your choice, but I warn you not to underestimate my powers."

Jabba laughed, and was joined by his sycophants. Threepio stepped up. "Master Luke, you're standing on…"

"…no bargain… Jedi," the Hutt said. "I shall enjoy… you die."

Luke raised his hand, and a blaster flew into it. But before he could get a shot off, Jabba hit a button, and the trap door opened, sending Luke and the guard into the pit. Hermione approached and looked down.

"Oh no! The rancor!" Threepio shouted.

Hermione saw a glimpse giant beast, and heard its roar. In her head, she went over the possible spells she could use… stunning wouldn't be powerful enough for something that big.

Then she saw the pale woman sneak off. _Not again,_ she decided, and rushed after her. She somehow felt that it could only mean trouble.

But the woman either sensed her—very possible—or she deliberately took a very twisted path… Hermione didn't care—the only thing she was absolutely certain about was that the woman was trouble. Trouble Luke didn't prepare for. Well, that was the reason she came along.

She was so obsessed with keeping after the woman that she didn't notice a man step out into a corridor until she bumped into him. The man's face expressed bewilderment and then he yelled at the top of his lungs "Aaarrhh! Guards! Intru—"

"_Stupefy!_" Hermione shouted, knocking the man down. She covered her face with the invisibility cloak again and resumed the pursuit.

The corridor ended inside a large cave. The woman was standing at one end, next a tunnel covered by a metallic grating. The rancor's roars were heard from there. And then, she heard a loud crash, followed by heavy breathing. The woman drew a blaster from her holster.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Hermione yelled. The woman immediately jumped away from the grate and stared around her.

Then many running feet were heard. The woman immediately sprung up and ran towards the corridor she and Hermione came through. Hermione moved ahead to trip her.

"What the—" the woman shouted as Hermione noticed the hood of the cloak uncover her again. _Why doesn't that thing stay on?_ she thought, getting her wand ready. Then she felt a powerful push knock her down, and the woman ran off. _Damn, damn, damn_, she thought. She barely hat time to cover herself once more before guards, as well as a fat man wearing nothing but a mask and pants ran in. The guards dragged Luke out, while the fat man leaned against the wall and cried… Despite the situation, Hermione understood him. _The rancor was like his pet_. She headed back up, very careful not to reveal herself to anyone else. _I'm not going to lose that woman again_, she vowed.

XXXXXXXX

_Ron's steps echoed in the quite halls of the medical frigate as he headed towards one of the bacta tank rooms. When he entered, the lights were dimmed, and the tank itself shimmered brightly in the center. Hermione's naked, unconscious body bobbed in the tank._

"_What… what happened?" Ron managed._

"_Vacuum exposure," a man rose next to the tank. "Her fighter was shot down."_

"_Wedge?" Ron asked, although he couldn't think it would be anyone else._

"_Lieutenant Weasley," Wedge Antilles said coldly. "What—"_

"_Will she be okay?" Ron interrupted. This was no time to settle their issues—or to figure whether there is anything to settle in the first place._

"_Her body, yes. Her mind… they won't know if her brain was significantly damaged until they revive her."_

Hermione without her mind. _And then it hit him. "It's my fault," he whispered._

_Wedge looked at him. "What?"_

_He paused. "I killed her. I might as well have been the one who pulled the trigger."_

"_Explain."_

_Ron got angry. "Don't pretend you don't understand!" he shouted. "I'm a pilot too; I know what it's like! Your whole focus has to be on the current situation; you don't get distracted. She needed support, she just came out of Imperial captivity, her best friend essentially freed her by taking her place—she needed someone to hold on to—and instead of offering that, I walked out on her! On top of that, I made her feel guilty about the support she might have gotten from you. Bloody hell, it's enough to send anyone over the edge! And I had the temerity to say she wasn't a good friend! It's my fault Hermione might be worse than dead—and I will have to live with that for EVERY BLOODY DAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE! Hit me, Wedge!"_

"_What?"_

"_Punch me! Beat me up! I deserve it, and more! Shoot me if you want! I KILLED THE WOMAN YOU LOVED!"_

_And then Wedge threw a punch, taking the wind out of Ron. Ron didn't try to fight back, and took in several blows, before falling on the ground, his mouth covered in blood._

_Ron's eyes fell on the bacta tank. "Look…" he muttered._

_Wedge turned away, and rushed to the tank. Ron stood up and joined him. Hermione's eyes had opened, and were moving._

"_Hermione!" he breathed. Wedge had pressed his face to the tank, and Ron noticed a tear streak down his cheek._

_Hermione's eyes shut again, but Ron knew it was sleep and not death. He couldn't describe the relief he felt._

_Wedge must have felt the same, sine he immediately turned towards him._

"_Uhm… Sorry for punching you."_

"_I asked for it, and I deserved it. Forget it. How long did you sit here?"_

"_Since we got back from the mission. Four days."_

"_She will make it."_

"_I know. But…" Wedge said awkwardly, "...just what are your feelings towards her?"_

_Ron was embarrassed by the question. "Oh, that. You don't need to worry. We tried a relationship, back when we were still in our world, but it didn't work out."_ Damn, why did he have to remind me of _that_ disaster? "_I'm lucky I kept her as a friend… until now."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_She won't want to be on the same _planet_ as me after what I did to her."_

"_Do you want me to persuade her otherwise?"_

_Ron gathered himself. "Sorry, I still have some pride left. I'm going to apologize to her in person—with you as a witness. And if she won't accept my apology, that's her right. But I also need one favor."_

"_What?"_

"_This conversation we just had… Remember it, write it down, record it—I don't care, just so you're able to give her the gist on it—"_

"_But you said that you would—"_

"_Wait, I didn't finish. So you're able to give her the gist on it if I am not."_

"_If you're…"_

"_Dead. The last thing she needs is to think I died hating her."_

"_I'll do that," Wedge promised._

"_Take care of her, Wedge."_

"_May the Force be with you."_


	40. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37.**

_I'm wet_.

That was the first thing Harry realized as he came to his senses. He was covered from head to toe with liquid. A breathing mask covered his face.

_Bacta tank_, he understood. Then he opened his eyes.

Through the water around him, he saw a darkened room and, at the far end, four motionless, bright red blurs. But then, the breathing mask disconnected, and he was pulled out. As he cleared his sight, he realized the four blurs were the royal guards that usually surrounded the Emperor. _What are they doing here?_

"Subject in optimal condition," a nearby medical droid announced.

_Shows how much you know,_ Harry thought. _I don't feel optimal at all._ He looked around. Now, he had three large scars—the old lightning-shaped one on the forehead, and two new ones, from hits by blaster bolts, exacerbated by Palpatine's dark-side lightning. _I can't let him hit me again_, he realized, though he had no idea how he was going to do that.

He put on the clothes the droid handed him—same black pants he wore before, a tight black shirt, and light shoes. As soon as he did so, the droid asked him to extend his hands forward. Harry did, and found himself handcuffed.

_I'm an idiot_, Harry decided. _I will pay more attention now._ Then another thought crossed his mind. _What if it's too late?_

Two of the four red guards marched up to him and prodded him with their staffs. Harry got the message. _Follow us._ He was marched out of the corridor, surrounded by four guards.

He thought about trying to escape, but quickly decided against it. Even if he could defeat the guards—a doubtful proposition, considering his hands were bound and he had no weapon—he had no idea where to run. He was just as likely to run into the Emperor as he was to get to the exit. _In fact, that's exactly the sort of thing the Emperor would do—let me think I was escaping while keeping me trapped._

He remembered Yoda talking about the ability to use the Force to influence minds. _If we pass someone, I can try to convince them I'm the Emperor_. With that idea, Harry knew he was going crazy. _So what. It's the guards that matter_. And there was no chance of that trick working on them.

Another door opened. One of the guards stepped in, but he others stopped, and pushed Harry forward. As soon as Harry was inside, the door slammed shut.

He was back in the circular room where he fought battle droids. _Great. What now?_

The guard at the other side of the room took off his helmet, revealing a smooth-shaven face with large eyes and short blond hair. With one smooth motion, the man dropped his cape. He was wearing a black bodysuit and blood-red armor plates on his torso, thighs, and upper arms. Harry understood that this armor was designed to offer the best balance of protection and freedom of movement.

The man raised his staff, twisted it, and a foot-and-a-half long blade appeared at either end.

"Good," the Emperor's voice said from the ceiling. "Kill him."

At that moment, a small object popped out of the floor and flew up. Harry instinctively summoned it with the Force.

It was a lightsaber. Harry thumbed the switch and a red blade emerged.

The red guard, however, rushed to attack as soon as he heard the Emperor's order. Harry moved to cut his staff in half.

The blade harmlessly passed through, and Harry was nearly knocked out by the guard's punch right into his chest. He rolled away from the guard's attempt to pierce him with one of the blades and leaped up, breathing heavily, but still holding the saber in a ready stance.

"Cortosis," the guard glared at him. "Shuts down your Jedi weapons."

Harry processed that. _If the staff is made out of this "cortosis," I don't think the blades are_. He met the other man's next attack at the tip of his weapon.

The result was again unexpected. The two blades locked together, as if they both were lightsabers. _There must be some force field around them_.

Harry couldn't think anything more, as the man spun his staff around, going for his neck. Harry blocked, but was knocked on his back. Propelling himself with the Force, he jumped over the guard, and moved to turn around.

Instead, he stepped forward, and immediately felt searing pain in his back as the guard cut a bleeding gash there. He fell forward, landed on his arms, and flipped ahead, landing and summoning the lightsaber just in time to block the guard's next attack. He realized that if he tried to turn around when he meant to, the guard would have skewered him.

Harry went on the offensive, dealing out one blow after another to the guard, who blocked every strike. _Was this man also trained in the Force?_ Harry wondered. Then the guard coupled another parry with a kick into Harry's stomach, sending Harry tumbling on the floor. Harry looked up to see the guard running towards him, double-bladed staff in one hand and his lightsaber in the other.

In his rage, Harry ran towards the guard, leaping up at the last moment, and in mid-air, using the most powerful Force push he could summon to knock the other man down.

It worked. The guard crumbled to the ground, and Harry summoned the lightsaber back. The guard kicked out, and Harry, without thinking, cut off the man's leg. The leg, however, continued flying, and knocked Harry backwards.

He got up, only to see the guard, despite losing a limb, and sitting on the ground, bleeding, hurl his staff at him. Harry caught it with the Force and approached the man, staff in his left hand, lightsaber in his right.

"Well, Potter? What are you waiting for?" The Emperor demanded. "Kill him!"

_Kill him._ That's what the Emperor said at the beginning of their fight. He assumed it was an order for the guard. _But could that have been for me?_ _Or maybe it was for both of us_. The guard would certainly kill him if the situation were reversed. But now, he was an unarmed, defeated man. He looked at the guard. No expression on his face he could read. Harry made his decision.

"No."

"You are weak," the guard snarled, and leaped at him. Without thinking, Harry struck, plunging the lightsaber into the man's chest. He felt pain as the guard had yanked on his other arm, twisting it. Then the guard fell down and stopped moving.

"Jedi..." Harry heard the other man's last word, filled with contempt.

Covered in blood—his own and the guard's—bruises, cuts, and sweat, Harry no longer had the strength to stand. He collapsed, and before he passed out, he was almost certain he heard the Emperor's voice say "Well done." And he couldn't care less.

XXXXXXXX

As Hermione returned to the throne room, she saw Luke, Han, and Chewie standing in the center, handcuffed. Threepio was translating for Jabba.

"… be taken to the Great Pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc."

Han said something to Luke, which Hermione didn't hear. Threepio continued, "In his belly, you will find a new definition of pain and suffering, as you are slowly digested over a thousand years."

"On second thought, let's pass on that, huh?" Han suggested.

"You should have bargained, Jabba. That's the last mistake you'll ever make," Luke said as the guards dragged him off.

Hermione followed. They were going (of course) to the hangar. Luke obviously was confident that they would be able to escape. Hermione didn't understand how, but she supposed she would soon see it happen. All she'd have to do is get on the _Khetana_—if you were wearing an invisibility cloak, that was no challenge at all. The only thing to worry about was the pale woman who kept eluding her. Hermione paused at the entrance to the hangar.

_There she is, _Hermione thought. She was talking to Jabba through Threepio. Hermione couldn't hear what she was saying, but from her tone, she was asking some favor. Hermione suspected that the 'favor' was for her to come along. _If she wants that, then I must stop her_. But how would she do that without drawing attention to herself?

Suddenly she got an idea. "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" she said, lifting a small crate off the ground. She then put all her strength into the spell and hurled it into Jabba.

The slug blinked. The crate hadn't hurt or even grazed him, but the crime lord was outraged, and one didn't need to know any Huttese to figure that out.

Jabba's guards grabbed the woman and led her off, while Jabba himself boarded the _Khetana _on his sled. Moments later, the sail barge and two skiffs, one of them with Luke, Han, and Chewie aboard, took off. The hangar immediately felt deserted. Except for the woman, her guards, and Hermione, there wasn't anyone. Hermione headed down to the hangar floor.

As soon as the hangar door shut, the woman twisted out of the grip of two guards and leaped over their heads. Her lightsaber flashed, cutting two Gamorreans in half. The other two guards Jabba sent with her, a human and a Klatooinian, drew their blasters, but the woman deflected their shots back at them.

"You've cost me a lot, whoever you are. I will make sure you pay." Hermione knew those words were addressed to her. Logically, it would be safest to stay under the cloak… but then, what if the woman found a vehicle, and followed Jabba's entourage to do whatever she planned to originally? Hermione couldn't let that happen. She decided. She ripped off the cloak, and drew her wand.

"You're welcome to try," she said.


	41. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38.**

"So there you go. And right now, it seems Wedge will have to carry out his promise," Ron finished the story.

"I wouldn't be so pessimistic," Jan descended down the last staircase and opened a small door.

Ron stepped through it… and found himself in an enormous hall, in the middle of which stood the strangest ship he'd ever seen.

"What's that?" Ron asked, half trying not to laugh.

The ship appeared to be held together by… well, Ron couldn't say. It was a mishmash of parts that should have been—no, _were_—non-compatible. A cockpit apparently taken from a TIE bomber had attached a smaller version of tri-wings either a Skipray blastboat or a standard Imperial shuttle, and was strapped to engines of a Y-wing. _I will never call the _Falcon _a piece of junk again._

"Where did you get it?" Ron asked Jan incredulously.

"I started piecing it together the last time I was here without a way to escape. I didn't finish before Kyle found me."

"Jan," Ron tried to reason, "That thing won't fly. Ever."

"Than we won't be any worse off than we are now, will we?"

"We might be. Trying to make that wreck work could be dangerous."

"Do you have an alternative?"

Ron didn't like having to admit he didn't. He shrugged. "What exactly doesn't work on it? Or should I be asking what _does_? Which list is shorter?"

"Repulsorlifts and computer controls are okay, as is life support. Everything else—sublight, weapons, shields—a disaster in the making. And as for hyperdrive, that's not something we can test here, so I don't know."

"Let's hope we don't end up testing it while chased by the imps. Do you have tools?"

She tossed him a toolkit, but gave him a mocking look all the same. "Wouldn't your magic be of any help here?"

"You mean, can I wave my wand and make this ship operational in an instant? Sorry, doesn't work that way."

"Why not? I'm not complaining," she quickly assured him. "Just curious."

"There's a reason it takes years to learn this stuff, Jan. Let me show you." He looked around and found a large ceramic bowl. Setting it on the floor, he then picked up a metal bar and smashed the bowl into pieces. Getting out his wand, he pointed it at the shards.

"_Reparo!_" he said, and the shards fused back into a whole bowl. He picked up it, tossed it to Jan to inspect. "That's your basic mending spell, and a first year at Hogwarts—that's my school, where we learn this—should be able to do this easily."

"But?" Jan prompted.

"But do you know that the same spell is used to mend broken human bones? Would you like to make yourself a test subject?"

Jan gasped. "Well, of course not…"

"Just as a matter of note, I _have_ mended bones before. But that's not something first-years learn—it's a lot more difficult than a clay pot."

"But why?" Jan still didn't understand.

"In essence, spells are no different than tools—or weapons. It takes skill and practice to use them well. To repair something, you have to know how it works, and why it broke in the first place. A pot has a very simple structure; the skeleton is a lot more complex. I told you I have mended bones, but you know something—I would not, right now, be willing to try that with a non-human. It might make things worse, if I don't know what's going on. Same thing with the ship. If I don't know what, exactly, I want the spell to accomplish, I'm not going to cast it and hope for the best. That's just stupid."

Jan nodded. "I see. So no miracles?"

Ron smiled. "The Imperials weren't able to arrest me. The Imperials weren't able to arrest you. Two miracles right there."

"Thanks," Jan said. "Let's get to work."

XXXXXXXX

Harry came to consciousness in what was obviously a prison cell. He approached the barred door and jerked away as his hand was stung by a force field. _Damn_. _Even if I had a weapon…_

There was nothing to do. Surprisingly, he didn't feel hungry or thirsty. They must have been feeding him intravenously while he was in the bacta tank. The only thing for him to do was to stare through the bars at the gray wall… and to go over his last clear memory.

It wasn't a pleasant one—the expiration in the Force of the red guard he killed. That really hit him. Harry knew he had killed before—he was in battles, he shot down fighters—but somehow he felt this was different. He didn't know why that was the case.

_Anger, fear, aggression—the dark side of the Force are they,_ Yoda's words came to him. Was his killing of the guard a murder? Was it out of fear, in anger, an act of aggression? Who could tell? Lines were not as clear-cut as he imagined they would be.

The Emperor had been right in one respect—anger could make him powerful. He thought about Palpatine's words—the power to destroy Voldemort. The power to avenge his parents…

"_Master Yoda, is the dark side stronger?_"

"_No. Quicker, easier, more seductive_."

"_If the time should when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember…"_

Harry understood that. He understood that all too well.

_I only wish I knew where my breaking point was_. He knew he had one—everyone did. He knew he already came close—the anger in which he fought the guard was all too real. At some point, he would make the easy choice—when the easy choice was survival.

_He can make me fight two guards at once… or three, or four… or a squad of stormtroopers, or Vader, or…_ I will not be able to do anything but give in, to keep my life.

_Your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness,_ Dumbledore had said to Voldemort.

Now, Harry understood what Dumbledore meant, as well. Knowing and being able to make that decision were two different things, however.

_How will you defeat Voldemort without the power?_

_I don't care. Stupid prophecy._

_What hope is there? What are you counting on?_

_Stop it. Just stop it._ He remembered Sirius. Twelve years in Azkaban, and he hadn't lost hope. Despair is of the dark side, he decided. He had no doubt Yoda would agree.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by a noise of a door opening. He looked up. The last person he expected stood outside his cell. The woman who captured him, the woman who looked exactly like his mother.

And she was smiling.

The woman lifted her hand, glancing at her chrono. She looked at him.

The room went dark. _A power outage?_ Harry thought.

With a snap-hiss, a brilliant blue shaft of light appeared and cut through the bars of the cell.

"Well, Potter?" the woman said. "Are you getting out, or do you like these accommodations?"

"You!" Harry said, climbing out of his cell. "Why?"

"No time, Potter. We've got to get out of here before they restore power."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't."

The very simple, very honest answer surprised Harry more than he cared to admit.

Red lights came on. "Damn," the woman said. "Sooner than I expected. Here," she took an extra lightsaber off her belt and gave it to him.

Harry took and ignited it. The purple blade added its glow to the room.

"Well, come on," the woman said. "Hurry up."

Harry nodded. "Uhm, what's your name? You look like my mother, but—"

"Later, Potter. For now, the name I bore for most of my life will do. Call me Mara Jade."


	42. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39.**

Hermione looked at the woman. "_Incarcerous!_" she shouted, and ropes coiled out of her wand, binding her.

"That's impossible," the woman said.

"Obviously not," Hermione replied. "_Accio!_" The woman's lightsaber flew into her hand.

"You think it's that easy?" Hermione felt power come from that woman as she ripped the ropes binding her apart. A blaster lying on the floor was hurled through the air. The woman caught it.

"_Protego!_" Hermione shouted, blocking the bolt. "_Calorio!_" The woman tossed aside the hot gun, wincing in pain. Then she jumped at Hermione, who barely managed to get out of the way. The woman did hit her, however, knocking her down.

"_Stupefy!_" Hermione yelled. The woman was too quick, and evaded the blast. Hermione stood up, and aimed to cast another spell, but was hit in the back with a heavy crate. She stumbled, nearly dropping her wand.

"_Locomotor Mortis!_" she tried the Leg-Locker Curse. The woman evaded it by leaping upwards, and then a small rock slammed into Hermione's hand. She yelped, releasing the wand. She jumped for it, but the woman landed next to her and slammed her down. She then kicked the wand away.

"Silly little girl," the woman snarled and grabbed for the lightsaber. Hermione held on to the weapon with all her strength while trying to reach the wand with her other hand. But it was too far.

Hermione concentrated on her wand, trying to make it move by itself. She had seen Luke—and Harry, when he was fighting the red-headed woman—do it. She also kicked the woman on top of her, but she dodged it. At the same time, Hermione lost the grip on the lightsaber. The woman yelled triumphantly and ignited the blade.

Just as Hermione successfully summoned her wand. "_Stupefy!_" she yelled, forcing the woman to dodge once again. Getting back to her feet, Hermione saw the furious woman practically flying at her, glowing blade poised to kill.

"_Impedimenta!_" she shouted, stopping the woman in mid-air. The woman landed on her feet and extended her hand towards her. Hermione was thrown back.

"_Protego!_" she said, getting free. Then seeing the woman jumping again, she headed back to the corridor. "_Impedimenta!_" she stopped the woman's second attempt to spear her with the lightsaber. "_Incendio!_" she created a fire, blocking the hallway into which she retreated with a fire.

Hermione didn't hear anything, which meant she was not being followed. _That makes no sense_, she thought. The woman should have been able to easily jump either over or even through the fire quickly enough not to be harmed.

As she stepped back into the throne room, she jumped forward at the sound of the ignition of a lightsaber, turning around to face the woman. "_Incarcerous!_" she yelled, but this time, the woman was ready, and the ropes coming out of her wand were sliced apart by a twirling crimson blade. Hermione abandoned the effort and jumped backwards as the woman swung at her.

"_Stupefy!_" she made another attempt, but the woman dodged. She sent a stream of fire at her, which the woman just deflected with her lightsaber. Hermione sent pieces of junk flying at the woman, but her enemy actually _laughed _and flung them back at her. Hermione dodged a few, but had to blast one apart. She was getting desperate, and running out of ideas.

"_Impedimenta!_" she blocked the woman's new attempt to approach her close enough to strike. But constantly casting spells tired you out, and she knew she would soon lose. "_Calorio!_" she tried the heating spell again. She felt the lightsaber become hot in the woman's hand… but the woman resisted. When she couldn't hold on to the weapon anymore, she threw it, spinning, at Hermione.

"_Protego!_" the witch yelled, stopping the lightsaber. "_Stupefy!_" she fired the spell at the woman, who jumped over her to avoid it. Hermione turned to face her…

And immediately saw the incredible opportunity. She focused her concentration on the target and flicked her wand.

As the woman landed on the floor, the trap door under her opened, and she continued falling down into the rancor pit. Hermione, not believing her luck, rushed out of the throne room to the other entrance.

She was almost too late. As she ran into the cave, the woman already crawled around the dead rancor and was rushing for the door. "_Colloportus!_" she yelled, and the spell hit just as the woman was grabbing at the door. It didn't open. Hermione sighed with relief.

"You cheated," the woman accused her.

"Cheating implies the existence of rules," retorted Hermione. "Who are you, and who sent you?"

"I don't have to tell you anything."

"Fine. Then stay here and starve."

"I'm just a dancer."

Hermione laughed. "_Dancers_ usually don't get trained in lightsaber combat. Try again."

"And if I do…"

"You won't starve."

"Someone will find me and release me before that."

"I can prevent that." She couldn't, or at least not with any spell that could be done quickly enough, but of course, the woman didn't know that. Hermione saw her fear.

"What do you want to know?"

"The usual stuff. Your name. Who you work for. Why you came here."

"My name is Roganda Ismaren. I was hired to kill Organa," the woman said, after thinking for a moment.

_Leia, _Hermione thought. "So who hired you? The Empire?"

"I don't know. Maybe. It's not like I care, as long as I get paid."

Hermione suspected the woman was lying, but there was no time for a real interrogation. She was not a Legilimens, and this woman was obviously trained in concealment. She got up.

"Like I said, you won't starve." Hermione waved her wand and a large plate full of food appeared in front of the woman. "But it will be a while before you get out," she added, and with another wave of her wand, collapsed a portion of the cave's ceiling. A wall of rocks blocked the door. Hearing the woman curse, Hermione headed away.

She carefully opened the room where she left Ooola. The Twi'lek girl was up. "Hello," she said.

"We're getting out of here."

"I was afraid you would leave me there."

Hermione shook her head. "I keep my promises."

At the hangar, Hermione picked a landspeeder, and soon, they were driving across the desert. Then Hermione's comlink chirped.

"Granger here," she said, taking one hand off the steering mechanism.

"Hermione!" Luke's voice shouted. "Why didn't you come with us?"

"There was a woman in the palace, disguised as a dancer, who was very eager to get on the barge. She had a lightsaber and was trained with it."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. She is locked in the rancor pit, and I got her 'saber. She says she is an assassin hired to kill Leia, but I don't believe her."

"Right… well, we're all alive, Jabba is dead, and we're going back." Ooola said something in Twi'leki. Hermione didn't understand it, but the girl sounded happy.

"Luke, where did you take that Twi'lek slave girl you rescued from Fortuna a few days ago?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"There was another Twi'lek there, right? She refused to come? Well, she's next to me."

"Oh." Luke gave her the address.

"Thanks. Don't bother waiting for me, I'll be okay. See you back at the fleet."

"Good luck."

"You too."

XXXXXXXX

A few hours later, Ron, despite aching from lying on his back most of that time, felt a lot better about their prospects of getting away. The ship's engines had been put to the test at low power and worked, shields were good, and hyperdrive appeared to have no problems. Back in his world, he sometimes made fun of his father for tinkering with Muggle devices. _And now, I'm doing the same thing. Dad would like it here…_

Jan called to take a break. Ron actually left the chamber and took a peek outside before coming back for a bite to eat.

"Hey, Jan," he said.

"What?"

"Do you know what time it is?"

"I don't have a chrono, either, why?"

"It's the middle of the night. And we noticed nothing."

"I hate Coruscant," Jan whispered.

"Huh?"

"That's one of the reasons. You don't really keep track of time here without glancing at a chrono every ten minutes. Even if you're outside, it's always—depending how deep you are—either too dark during the day or too bright at night."

"Where're you from?" Ron asked.

"Alderaan."

"I'm sorry."

"You weren't even in this galaxy when it happened. And since you were brought here, you couldn't get back, right? So your world is as lost to you as mine is to me."

Ron was first shocked at the idea. "No," he said. "Don't pretend it's the same. I still might be able to get back. Most of the people I knew there are probably still alive—although there's a war going on back there too. I can hope. You can't. And hope is a very powerful force.—Leia once told me that that's what the Rebellion was made of."

"But I do hope, Ron. I hope of a victory—and a life where I don't have to sleep with a loaded blaster under my pillow."

Ron chuckled. "Do you know how many ways people express that sentiment? Pilots say 'sleep in the cockpit of a starfighter', but the idea is the same. Yeah, I'd like that too." He leaned closer to her, almost brushing her face.

And then they kissed.

It seemed to take both of them by surprise. "Did you just kiss me?" they both said together, and laughed at the stupidity of the question.

"So," she asked, "where do we go from here?"

Ron acted on impulse. "Well," he said, "how about," he pulled her head towards him and firmly pressed his lips on hers, "here." They embraced each other and continued the kiss.

"Ron," Jan whispered, "If they barge in now, I'm not exactly in a position to fight," she said as he leaned over her."

"Neither am I," he broke away and grinned. "Another reason to win this war, don't you agree?"

Jan gave him a final quick kiss before picking up the toolkit again. "Absolutely."


	43. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40.**

Harry and Mara managed to make it down one corridor before they ran into trouble. At the first corner, as soon as they turned, they were met with blaster fire. They both drew their lightsabers and began blocking the shots.

"It's those ceiling turrets!" Mara shouted over the whine of blaster bolts.

Harry understood. Three turrets, each with a pair of repeating blasters. They were armored, so deflected shots did nothing to them. He saw that Mara had several blasters with her, but no heavy weapons.

"Mara, can you hold them off by yourself for a moment?"

The woman nodded. Harry raised his saber and hurled it forward, spinning, at the first turret. The machine was neatly sliced apart, and fell to the floor with a loud crash.

"Nice job," Mara said approvingly.

They repeated the exercise on the other two turrets (Mara insisted on handling the last one herself) and proceeded up the stairway at the end of the corridor.

At the top of the stairs, doors opened on both sides and stormtroopers ran out. "Freeze!" they yelled.

The reply they got was two lightsaber blades. Harry deflected two shots, cut down one trooper, Force-pushed another back downstairs, than leaped over and sliced up the remaining two. He turned to Mara, who was standing over her four attackers, and nodded.

Mara was about to move ahead through the door in front of them, when Harry held her back.

"What, Potter? The hangar is this way."

"Yeah, but don't you feel it? There's too many of them in there."

Mara stood for a moment. "So what's your plan?"

"First, we take the side corridor," he said, pointing to one of the doors the stormtroopers came out of. And second, you know the mind trick?"

Mara nodded. "However," she looked at him, "We'd better split up. I'll take the right corridor, you go left."

"Sure," Harry agreed.

The chamber ahead had at least fifty stormtroopers patrolling it. If they tried to fight it out, it would be too much. But the place was so full of crates, columns, balconies, vehicles, and other obstacles that he was never in the line of sight of more than two Imperial soldiers at once. Mind-tricking them away was all too easy—and since he heard no blaster or lightsaber noises, he presumed Mara was equally successful.

He exited the chamber through another side corridor, and immediately faced Mara.

"Beat you," she said.

For the first time in days—or maybe weeks, or months, since he had no idea how long he was kept unconscious—Harry smiled. "Whatever."

The next room was dark and nearly empty. To the left, Harry noticed a tall staircase, but Mara was going forward. She pointed to a large switch on the wall. Harry flipped it with the Force.

The heavy gate ahead of them opened revealing a large open platform with many vehicles, and beyond that, a skyline with enormous buildings—the largest city Harry has ever seen.

_We must be on Coruscant_, he thought. He was about to ask Mara, but then, he felt danger, and looked up. The gate they came through was smashing back down. Harry jumped backwards, only to realize that Mara was already on the other side. He heard intense blaster fire before the gate slammed shut, cutting off the sound.

"Mara!" he yelled.

"She served her purpose admirably," a new voice rang out in the dark. "Of course, she had no idea I was here. She was just following her master's orders."

Harry got up. _Mara betrayed me..._ "Who are you?"

The voice laughed. "The great Harry Potter, fooled by a simple voice-changing spell. DON'T RECOGNIZE ME?" The voice had changed with that last phrase, and Harry _did _recognize it. He recognized it all too well.

"Voldemort," he said.

XXXXXXXX

The address Luke gave her was a safehouse in Mos Eisley. It belonged to an old couple whom Luke knew when he lived on Tatooine. They were sympathetic to the Rebellion, and would help hide the Twi'leks until they could be taken off-planet. Hermione approached the house and gave a coded knock.

"Luke, is that you again?" a voice from inside shouted. The door opened, revealing a woman. Hermione didn't know how old she was, but she seemed to be quite healthy.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Hermione Granger. Luke gave me the address," she explained.

"Well, do come in. Lingering outside is suspicious."

She stepped in and looked around. The room was small, and almost all the space was covered with furniture of some kind – tables, chairs, shelves. Before she took it all in, another Twi'lek entered from the back and rushed over to hug her companion.

"Sienn!" Oola breathed out. "You were right to go when you did. I nearly got killed. If it wasn't for Hermione…"

Sienn turned to her. "Thank you."

The elderly woman looked at her. "Sorry I haven't introduced myself. Jeni Arrel. How did you manage to get her out of Jabba's palace?" she asked.

Hermione didn't want to reveal much about magic, but fortunately, she had a better explanation. "Jabba is dead," she said, "thanks to Luke. We got out after they left the palace."

"Oh," the woman nodded. "Well, that'll make Lady Valarian happy."

"Huh?"

"The _other_ crime boss on Tatooine."

"I see."

"You'll be going away, now?"

"Yes."

"Please, have dinner with us."

"Oh, I don't want to—"

"It's not an intrusion."

"Well, all right. You need some help?" she offered. She wasn't much of a cook, but at the very least, she could help set the table.

After dinner, Hermione wanted to leave, put the Arrels pointed out to her that going out into the desert at night was suicide. So she stayed the night. Surprisingly, she slept quite well. Tatooine was very quiet at night.

In the morning, she bid farewell to the Arrels and the two Twi'leks, and headed out of Mos Eisley. But even before she left the city, something unexpected happened.

"Well, there's a surprise," a rather familiar voice said.

"Kyle Katarn," she recognized the man. "What're you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"How's Jan?"

"Back with Intelligence, last time I heard."

_Intelligence. That's what Ron does now_. _I better change the subject. If he asks about Ron or Harry…_

"So, what're you up to—no 'impregnable' Imperial bases around here."

Kyle looked at her. "How much did Jan tell you?"

"Everything."

"Look, I'm not any sort of hero. Right now, I'm just looking for whoever killed my parents."

"Wasn't it the Empire?"

"It was, but that's the issue. Whoever it was, he acted on his own authority, and I found out he went specifically after my father."

Hermione didn't know how to reply. Kyle continued. "I hoped to get into Jabba the Hutt's palace, and extract some information out of the regulars there."

"I doubt you'll find much. Jabba's dead."

"How did that happen?"

"He held Han Solo captured in carbonite. I came along with Luke and Leia to get him."

"I see. I'm not saying the slug didn't deserve it, but damn. This will make it harder. Well, at least I won't waste any time here. Where're you going?"

"Well, Luke and I didn't want to attract attention, so we didn't take our X-wings to the spaceport. We left them beyond the Dune Sea.

"I can give you a lift in the _Crow_. It'll be much faster than going across the desert in a speeder."

"Thanks," she agreed. Driving a speeder across the desert wasn't something she was looking forward too, either.


	44. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41.**

"Well? Don't you have anything else to say?"

"I don't think we have anything to say to each other," Harry replied. "Except," he ignited his lightsaber, "This."

Voldemort made a move, and produced his own lightsaber. If it wasn't so serious—_deadly _serious, Harry reminded himself—he might have appreciated the irony of the situation. The Dark Lord, Voldemort, fashioned himself a weapon with a pure white blade.

Harry approached. "How did you get here?"

"You don't expect me to just give the answer away, do you?"

"No," Harry answered. "But I will get it." With that, he swung his lightsaber.

Voldemort blocked and counterattacked, forcing Harry to step back and parry. They stood facing each other, blades raised.

"Surely you can do better, Potter, I wouldn't want my task to be too easy." The dark lord lunged ahead. Harry struck his blade, pushed on it, and turned it aside. Then he attacked, swinging at Voldemort's head. Instead of blocking, Voldemort tried a low swing at Harry's legs. Harry jumped over the white blade, parried the next blow, and somersaulted backwards, landing into a ready stance.

"I find that hard to believe—you always take the easy way out."

"Oh, Potter. I am so disappointed. Parroting Dumbledore? Your hero? Your _dead_ hero?"

"Argh!" Harry yelled, striking Voldemort, driving him backwards. "Who are your heroes, Voldemort?"

"I don't need any. That's what makes me strong."

"You don't have any, you mean," Harry said as he struck another blow at Voldemort's blade. "That makes you weak… Tom."

"How dare you!" Voldemort attacked in blind fury, and Harry knew he had thrown out the deadliest possible insult at his enemy—he called him by his Muggle name.

Harry tried to Force-push Voldemort into a wall, but instead, the dark lord just did a slight stumble before regaining his composure and his calm."

"You presume to judge our relative strengths and weaknesses?"

"Why not? You were a fully trained wizard, and you couldn't kill me when I was a baby."

"Do you know why, Potter? Can you explain? Can you replicate it?"

"I know why," Harry said as he approached Voldemort, who was now standing on the staircase. Harry moved up one step.

"Ah, yes. Love," Voldemort mocked. "Do you still believe love will save you?"

"Yes," Harry whispered. And he believed it. Despite everything, he believed it.

He attacked again, running up the stairway. Voldemort blocked and then moved out of the way. Harry barely ducked a heavy cable swinging towards him. He cut it in half, but Voldemort used the time to hit him off-balance and sent Harry tumbling down.

Before Voldemort could jump at him, Harry summoned all the Force energy he could and leaped all the way to the ceiling. Grabbing at a bar, he swung forward, spun around, and landed at the top of the stairs. Summoning his lightsaber, he ignited it in mid-air, forcing Voldemort to duck the amethyst blade. He positioned himself, ready, with a snarling Voldemort several feet below.

Voldemort leaped up to be level with him, and swung, but Harry blocked it. He moved backwards, defending from Voldemort's strikes.

He heard a swoosh of a door opening behind him, and felt and heard the blow of a strong wind. They stepped out. Harry gave a quick glance backwards and realized they were on a narrow—about five feet wide—walkway between two buildings. He didn't look down, but he felt that there were miles of space there. A fall meant certain death…

"Potter!" Voldemort called out. "Notice something strange?"

_Strange? _Harry thought as he took another look backwards. _Well, there is still about a hundred feet to the other end of the walkway, so I can't see that clearly… and Voldemort is thirty feet behind me…_

_Voldemort is thirty feet behind me. He didn't follow… which means…_

The walkway exploded.

XXX

"Well, that should do it," Ron said, closing the engine compartment. "We won't know for sure till we launch it, mind you, but I'm willing to risk that."

"Right. Can't wait to get away from this planet." Jan put away her tools. "So, what do we name her?"

"Huh?"

"It's a ship. It should have a name."

"You build it—mostly. You name her."

"No, you should. I never was good with that kind of stuff."

Ron thought for a moment, and then an idea came to him. "_Padfoot,_" he suggested, using Sirius Black's nickname.

Jan nodded. "I like it, although—the name means something to you?"

"Yes. I'll tell you later."

"Right. I'll start the launch."

Ron nodded, and, as Jan entered the craft, headed to the end of the chamber. There, he pressed a button to open a part of the wall to reveal the sky outside.

It was late evening, the sun having set, Ron estimated, about an hour before. The air was chilly, but Ron's shivering had nothing to do with the cold. Despite his air of confidence—as much for Jan's sake as for his own, despite being certain they'd done everything they could, they were still about to try to fly away from the capital world of the Empire in a craft composed of parts that weren't meant to go together—something their efforts couldn't negate.

"Hey!" Jan's voice interrupted him. "You alive?"

"What? Oh, yeah," he ran back. "Sorry."

He climbed into the craft and took the controls. There were two flight yokes in the craft, so he looked over at Jan with a questioning glance.

"You want to fly, or should I?"

"You handle it. I'll talk to Coruscant—Imperial Center—Control."

Ron nodded. "As you wish." Switching the control to his yoke, he activated the repulsorlifts and took the craft up. Before firing the forward engines, he leaned across the cockpit and gave Jan a kiss.

"Here goes nothing," he said.

To Ron's surprise, the craft flew well for its configuration. The flight was rough until Ron got the handling, but then it smoothed out. There was no sign of dangerous vibration,

either. He wasn't stupid enough to think it could match a well designed craft whose parts were constructed to fit each other, but then, he wasn't taking it into a dogfight.

"Unidentified craft, this is Imperial Center Traffic Control. Identify yourself and state your destination," a boring, monotonous voice came through the intercom.

"Imperial Center Control, this is private vessel _Padfoot_. Requesting orbital exit corridor."

"Private vessel _Padfoot,_ follow your present course."

"Affirmative," Jan said.

"Something wrong?"

"No—it was a droid voice, you noticed?"

"If you say so."

"That's what I counted on. With all the traffic on Coruscant, only vessels deemed important would have an actual person directing them."

"Who decides what vessel is important?"

"Well… either the owner of the vessel is some bigwig—maybe a member of the Imperial court—or…"

"Or what?"

"Or the military decides there's a good chance there are rebels on board."

"Private vessel _Padfoot,_ lower your shields for a security scan."

"Do it," Jan told him. Ron complied.

Two small hovering droids flew around the _Padfoot_. "Don't worry," Jan said. "They're looking for contraband. "Weapons, explosives, that sort of thing. And also," she added after a moment's thought, "if we have more people aboard than we should—and if we're human."

"Why that? I mean, I know about the Imperial policies, but there are plenty of non-humans on Coruscant—"

"You and I spend most of our time in the Outer Rim, where a human and an alien working together is hardly unusual. But the Imperial discrimination is a product of attitudes that have been present among core world humans for a long time. Even before Palpatine, it's been at least a century since the Republic had a non-human Chancellor.

"So a human and a non-human cooperating on Coruscant means…"

"It _means_ nothing. But the Empire thinks it means we're either Rebels, Outer Rim riffraff, or an underworld street gang that managed to get their hands on a ship. Not good whatever way."

"Private vessel _Padfoot,_" the droid controller said. "You are cleared for orbital exit corridor Alpha-K-Seventeen."

"Acknowledged," Jan said. "We're okay."

Ron glanced at the sensor display, and turned towards the corridor Control gave.

"Ron, watch out!" Jan shouted, but he already noticed the danger, and reactivated the shields. The small object smashed into them, and fell down, getting stuck somewhere on the front of their craft.

"This isn't good," Ron said. "That thing might fall where it doesn't belong."

"So what do we do? Climb out and get it?"

"No need," Ron said, drawing his wand. With a single wave, the small, rod-shaped object appeared in mid-air in front of them. Ron grabbed it before it fell to the floor.


	45. Chapter 41 34

**Chapter 41 ¾ .**

_Stupid me,_ Harry cursed himself for falling into such a simple trap. He was hanging on to a broken end of the walkway, catching his breath. His lightsaber was dropped in the explosion and was probably still falling. _Stupid me_, he cursed again.

Every part of his body was in pain. Every breath brought more pain. His ears were ringing, unable to process his own words—if he was saying any. His vision was blurred, and there was a tinge of red to everything he saw he realized had to be blood.

Still, he held on.

He saw a blurry dark figure ahead. _Voldemort,_ his mind told him, but his mouth wouldn't make out the words. _You cheated,_ he wanted to say.

"Young, brave, naïve, and foolish," Voldemort said. "Power is a much better protector than love. I had realized that before I was your age. That's how I got great. You could have had the same. But instead…"

"You…" Harry managed.

"I'm really doing you a favor, you know. You—"

"No…"

"_Avada Kedavra!_"


	46. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42.**

"Well, there it is," she said. "See that small house?"

"Right." Kyle landed the _Moldy Crow _next to what used to be Obi-Wan's hut, where Hermione had left her X-wing. It was still here. A brown and white R5 unit greeted here with a happy chirp.

"Hi, CueSeven," she said. "You ready for some flying?"

The droid acknowledged and beeped a question. "Oh, that," she smiled. Getting out her wand, she pointed it at the droid. "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" she said, lifting the droid up and lowering it into its socket on the fighter. "There we go. Start her up."

"That's a neat trick," Kyle said.

"Not a trick, just a spell. Thanks for the lift Kyle. Good luck in your search."

"Good luck to you too," Kyle headed back to his ship.

"Kyle?" she called out.

"What?" he asked.

"May the Force be with you."

Kyle nodded, and entered the ship. A minute later, the _Crow _took off.

Hermione went into the hut, put on her flight suit, and got into her X-wing. "Ready, CueSeven?"

The droid printed out a reply on the comm screen. "Good. Well, we better hurry. She closed the cockpit and took off, heading up into orbit. "CueSeven, begin hyperspace calculations." To herself, she muttered, "I miss Wedge."

XXX

"It's a lightsaber," Ron said. Jan nodded.

"Look!" she pointed forward. "Someone's falling!"

Ron glanced out the viewport, and acted without thinking. He popped open the top hatch, grabbed the broomstick, and flew off. "Wait!" Jan shouted, but he ignored it. He was diving towards the falling person, trying to coax the maximum speed out of the Firebolt.

His world consisted of himself, the broomstick and the falling person. Jan, the ship, the planet, the Empire—all was gone from his mind as he drove down. It was a race between himself and the ground as to who would get to the person first.

He won. Reaching out, he grabbed the falling person's hand, pulled up, and got him onto the broomstick before breaking to slow down the fall and head back up. Only then did he look at the person he rescued. The shock was such that he nearly dropped him again.

"Harry? Harry! You're alive… are you?" Harry didn't respond.

"No… you can't be dead… you can't be…" Ron muttered to himself. Holding on to Harry, he flew up towards the ship. He landed on top, put Harry through the hatch, then climbed in himself.

"Ron, what were you thinking?"

"I was saving Harry, who happens to be my best friend."

"You couldn't have known who it was."

"I didn't, but—"

"Never mind," Jan said. "I probably would have done the same. "But," she said, "That doesn't mean we aren't in trouble."

"Right." Ron didn't really listen. _You can't be dead, Harry. You can't be_.

"Remember I told you how they look at suspicious vessels more closely—well, this made us suspicious, that's for sure."

"Right." Ron got back into the pilot's seat.

"Private vessel _Padfoot_," a new voice came through the intercom. "This is Imperial Center Control. Change your course to orbital corridor Delta-H-Five."

"Affirmative," Jan said. "Change our course."

Ron did so. They already were almost at the designated lift point, where they had to take the craft out. Ron wasn't looking where he was going. _Harry..._

"Ron, wake up!"

"Huh?"

Jan pointed at the sensor screen. "In case you haven't noticed, that path they directed us at will take us between two Imperial Star Destroyers. You think it's a coincidence?"

"No."

"Neither do I. Any ideas?"

"No—wait." At that moment, he did get an idea. _But that's crazy! _his mind protested. _So?_

The crazy side won—as it always did.

"I'm going to start calculations for hyperspace, so we can jump the moment we clear the planet."

"We won't before those Star Destroyers are onto us."

"I know. Just hang on."

As the ship rose, two massive gray wedges hovered ahead. "They'll try to get us with a tractor beam," Jan whispered.

"They won't get the chance," Ron declared, punching in something on the control panel. He hoped he remembered that sabacc game with Tycho Celchu accurately. If he didn't, he'd never know.

"What're you doing?"

"Altering the fuel mixture," Ron told her.

"But, Ron, the mixture you set—that's explosive!"

"Not always. Under the right conditions," he said as the Star Destroyers got ever closer, "It can," he banked the craft to the right, which immediately prompted the Imperial warships to open fire. He didn't finish speaking, instead flipping the switch throwing the new mixture into the engines.

The acceleration pushed him and Jan into their seats and slammed Harry, who wasn't strapped in, into the back panel. Ron, concentrating on the flying, took the _Padfoot_ skimming the surface of the Star Destroyer, and went within meters of the bridge tower, open space ahead of him.

Ron flipped another switch, and the acceleration stopped.

"What did you do?" Jan managed.

"Jettisoned the engines."

"What! Now that they launched TIE fighters?"

"Look," he pointed to the sensor screen. An enormous explosion formed behind them. "This should confuse their sensors for a moment."

"A moment. And then what?"

A blue light flashed on the console. Ron looked at it and smiled.

"And then," he said, pulling on the hyperdrive lever, "we're out of here."

Stars turned into starlines and vanished. Ron wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"What just happened?"

"Later. Harry," he called out to his friend. "Harry, are you all right?"

There was no reply.

"Oh, no..."

"Ron…"

"Don't! Don't tell me it wasn't my fault!" He sulked. "We made it… but it was too late for him. If I ever get my hands on…"

"Ron!"

"Don't," he said. "I can't believe…" he looked at Harry's lifeless body. He tried to detect a pulse. He failed. He lifted Harry's eyelids. There was no spark in the dull green eyes.

_No… I can't believe it… I don't believe it… I won't believe it! He's NOT DEAD! HE IS NOT DEAD! This is a dream… a bad dream, and when I wake up, I'll be safe at Hogwarts and…_

And then, he broke down and sobbed, not caring where they were heading, not caring what Jan was thinking, not caring about anything at all.

_Harry is dead._


	47. Chapter 43

Chapter 43.

Hermione took her X-wing out of hyperspace, and saw the Rebel fleet ahead.

"X-wing, identify yourself."

"Captain Hermione Granger, Rogue Squadron. ID Z6843107-gamma," she reported in. "Requesting docking aboard _Home One_."

"Identity confirmed. Proceed, Captain Granger." Hermione acknowledged and headed towards the flagship. _Luke probably didn't get here yet_, she thought, regrettably. She wanted to discuss the lightsaber-wielding woman with him. But Han and Leia would be here. _And so will Wedge_.  
She landed her X-wing in the hangar bay, waited for the air to come back, and popped the cockpit open. "Come on, CueSeven," she called the droid.

The exit door opened, revealing Wedge. He pulled her into a tight hug, and kissed her. "Hermione..." he whispered.

She was ready to pull herself at him, but he stepped back. "I'm sorry, Hermione. But...," he stammered.

"Wedge, what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure yet. Let's go to the next hangar." Confused, Hermione followed him. Sitting in the middle was the oddest looking spacecraft she had ever seen. It looked like it was about to fall apart. If Wedge hadn't held her up, she would have laughed.

One of the hatches opened, and a short woman with messy brown hair stepped out, looking distressed. Hermione recognized her. "Jan!" she yelled.

"Hermione?" Jan said. "Oh..."

"What's wrong?"

The second hatch popped open, and revealed... Ron. He was carrying a body. A body with messy black hair...

"No..." Hermione stepped ahead and was shaken as any doubts flew away. She would have fallen if Wedge didn't steady her.

Despite having lost Harry, she never believed he was dead. _Not until I have proof_, she would always think. _Well, you have it now._ Maybe such hope was a mistake. Maybe it would be easier to take it if she thought he was dead from the start. _Am I that cold?_

"How..."

"We were on Coruscant," Jan said. "We were already on our way into orbit when we spotted someone falling." She pointed to Ron. "He flew out on that broomstick of his to try to save the person. But... he was already dead."

"Ron," Hermione said. No response. "Ron!" He continued walking, carrying Harry, as if not looking where he was going.

They entered a living quarters. Blank walls indicated that this place was unoccupied for some time. Ron laid Harry on the bed and turned around.

Hermione glanced down, not knowing what she could say or do. _We never thought that we might die_, she thought. _That always happened to the other people_. Close friends, family members, teachers... _but not us. Until now._

"Ron..." she said.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm sorry for everything." He drew his wand and pointed it at his head. "_Avada..._"

Hermione gasped in shock, but Ron didn't finish the spell because of a punch that landed in his face. Ron appeared as surprised as everyone else, since the fist was Jan's.

"Snap out of it!" she yelled, taking away his wand. "I thought you weren't one to give up. Was I wrong?"

"What do I have to hope for?" Ron demanded. "Who needs someone who wasn't there for his best friend, huh? Who needs me?" "I do," Jan whispered.

"You? Why!" Then his eyes flared. "Oh, I get it... Well, at least I see why he hated it..." He approached Jan, fists clenched in anger. "I. DONT. WANT. YOUR. PITY." He bolted for the door.

"_Stupefy!_" Ron dropped.

"Sorry," Hermione said to Jan. She helped Wedge lift Ron and get him into a chair. "But I was afraid he'd find another way to commit suicide if we let him out of sight." Inside, Hermione shuddered at what she just witnessed. She never heard about any witch or wizard using _Avada Kedavra_ on themselves.

"No, it's all right. I'm sorry... I just don't know... I've been stuck in hyperspace for three days alone with him. He ignored me if I sat quiet and pushed away when I tried to talk."

Hermione wanted to cry... but she wouldn't let herself. Instead, she looked at Jan. "You love him," she said.

The other woman raised her eyebrows. "What are you—" Hermione realized she made a mistake. "Oh, Jan, I'm so sorry—" "Right now, _you _shouldn't be sorry about anything. No, you're right. I do love him." She stared at the ceiling for a while. "You know, right before—before it happened, we were talking about hope, and what we might do once we win this war... That's what I liked about him. All the time we worked together, he never gave up. Even after he returned with—" Jan said quietly, "He still managed to get us away from the Imperials. And then... he just snapped. I would be dead ten times over if it wasn't for him... And I can't do anything to help him." "You can be there."

The words came not from Hermione, but from Wedge. Jan seemed to contemplate.

"He's right," Hermione told Jan. She turned to the pilot. "Wedge, you—you always were there for me. I couldn't have gotten through—"

"I still am here for you. And I always will be." "Oh, Wedge," she squeezed herself tightly against the pilot. "What do I do? I've lost Harry, I've lost Ron—I don't want to lose you too. I won't be able to stand it." "You won't."

"How can you promise something like that?" she demanded. "On the eve of a big battle, no less?"

"I'll be okay," Wedge assured her. Hermione pulled him closer, sobbing. Wedge carefully kissed her forehead.

A chirp interrupted them. Jan picked up a comlink. "Major Ors here." "Major Ors," a voice said from the communicator, "There is someone here insisting on seeing Ronald Weasley." "Lieutenant Weasley is..._ incapacitated,_" Jan said. There was a pause. "What about Hermione Granger?" Hermione blinked. Who would ask specifically for her or Ron? She nodded at Jan.

"Captain Granger is on her way."

"Wedge," Hermione said, "Can you come with me?" "Sure," he said.

As they left her quarters, Wedge asked Hermione, "Do you have any idea what this is about."

"No clue."

XXXXX

They entered the brig. The guard on duty approached them.

"Colonel Antilles. Captain Granger."

"What happened?" Wedge asked.

"She just... appeared in the cell. The forcefield activated automatically. She wouldn't explain anything, just insisted on seeing Lieutenant Weasley."

"She?"

"Take a look," he pointed to the cell.

"Ginny!"

"Hermione! Where am I?"

"Open the cell," Hermione told the guard.

The man hesitated. "That was an order," Wedge said.

"Yes, sir." The forcefield dropped and Ginny rushed to hug Hermione.

"Oh, Hermione, we were all so worried. Are Harry and Ron all right?" Hermione dropped back. She hoped to keep the bad news from Ginny as long as she could. "Harry..." she whispered.

"Dead!" Ginny yelled.

Hermione nodded, and immediately had to rush in to catch Ginny from falling. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry."

"And Ron..."

"Ron's alive—he brought Harry's body back. He blames himself for not being able to save him."

"Can I see..."

"Do you really want to?"

"Yes..."

Ginny stood up, still leaning on Hermione. She looked at Wedge.

"Oh. Ginny, this is Wedge Antilles. Wedge, this is Ginny Weasley. Ron's sister." "I saw the resemblance," Wedge said.

Ginny was still shaking. "Hello," she managed.

XX

Jan was still in Ron's quarters. Ron showed no indication of waking up.

"Ron!" Ginny said as she stepped into the room.

"He's stunned," Hermione explained. "We had to do it." But then, Ginny saw the body lying on the bed. "Oh, Harry..." she whispered, as she brushed away his dark hair, lifted his arm, trying to feel for signs of life. "No..." "Ginny?"

"Harry..." Ginny whispered again. She turned to Hermione. "How..." "I don't know," Jan told her. "I have some medical training, but I haven't seen anything like this before. There is no bodily decay... and no signs of physical harm. His body... just shut down." "_Avada Kedavra_," Hermione whispered.

"You-Know-Who."

"What?"

"He's here."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Fred and George saw him... vanish." "Like we did."

"Yes."

"And how did you..."

"It's a long story. I'm not supposed to be here, actually. We were all supposed to transfer together. But I felt that I was needed before that."

"That sounds like something he'd say."

"What?"

"Harry. That's what he was like. Always doing what he felt needed to be done—no matter how crazy it sounded."

"I know."

Silence descended, and none of them dared break it. Wedge tightly held Hermione's hand. Ginny sat down on the bed, staring at Harry's body. Tears welled up in her eyes.

A bell rang out on the ship's intercom. It was time for the briefing. That no longer seemed important to Hermione, but she would attend. If only to occupy her mind with something—they way she had always buried herself in schoolwork and books whenever she couldn't let her emotions out properly.

Ginny looked at her and Wedge. "I'd like to be alone with him... for a while." "Oh, Ginny," Hermione sobbed. "Of course. Jan?"

The woman picked up Ron's slumped body, and, with the help of Wedge, dragged it out. "I'll keep him doing anything," she said. She looked back at Ginny, then shut the door. "She loved him. Didn't she?"

"She still does," Hermione said.

"It's not easy, is it?"

"Should it be?" Wedge asked.

Hermione pondered that. Wedge was right.

Jan apparently came to the same conclusion. But she said nothing, only nodding as they headed their separate ways.

On her way to the briefing, Hermione suddenly filled with dread. She felt she had no right to refuse Ginny's request. But... _what if Ginny kills herself right there? _She dared not voice that thought to Wedge.


	48. Chapter 44

Chapter 44.

Hermione and Wedge delayed entrance, not wishing to be around the general excitement that tended to precede briefings. They sat down next to Han, Leia, Lando and Chewbacca.

"I was afraid you wouldn't show up," Leia whispered. "I wouldn't blame you." Before Hermione could answer, the room grew quiet. Mon Mothma, a stern auburn-haired woman, stood up. The leader of the Alliance spoke quietly, but the respect she commanded was unmistakable.

"The Emperor has made a critical error and the time for our attack had come," she began. A holoprojection appeared in the middle of the room, displaying a green planet with many continents and the orange ball of the Death Star next to it.

Mon Mothma continued. "The data brought to us by the Bothan spies pinpoints the exact location of the Emperor's new battle station. We also know that the weapon systems of this Death Star are not yet operational. With the Imperial Fleet spread throughout the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected. But most important of all, we've learned that the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this Death Star."

"Many Bothans died to bring us this information," Mon Mothma finished. _Not just Bothans, _Hermione thought. _Unless I'm very much mistaken, Ron's mission had something to do with this information as well._ _And while he didn't die..._

"Admiral Ackbar, please," Mon Mothma said.

Ackbar, a tall Mon Calamari, spoke in a rasping voice. He pointed at the holoprojection. "You can see here the Death Star orbiting the forest Moon of Endor. Although the weapon systems on this Death Star are not yet operational, the Death Star does have a strong defense mechanism. It is protected by an energy shield, which is generated from the nearby forest Moon of Endor." He pushed a button, and a stream of yellow particles emerged from the planet and enveloped the station. "The shield must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted." The admiral pressed another button, and the particles vanished. The projector zoomed in on the station itself. "Once the shield is down," Ackbar continued, "our cruisers will create a perimeter, while the fighters fly into the superstructure and attempt to knock out the main reactor." There was a flash of white light, and the image of the Death Star was gone. "General Calrissian has volunteered to lead the fighter attack."

"Good luck," Han said. "You're gonna need it." "General Madine," Ackbar said.

A tall, blond man with a beard stood up. "We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle. Disguised as a cargo ship, and using a secret Imperial code, a strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the shield generator."

"I wonder who they found to pull that one off," Leia said quietly.

"General Solo," Madine asked, "Is your strike team assembled?" _Han?_ Hermione thought.

"My team is ready," Han said, although there was a tingle of doubt in his voice. _Ron would go with them if he wasn't..._ "I don't have a command crew for the shuttle."

Chewie gave a bark and raised his enormous arm.

"It's going to be rough, pal; I didn't want to speak for you."

The Wookiee's next growl filled the room. Han only nodded.

"That's one!" he said.

"But General," Leia stepped in, "Count me in."

"That's two."

"I'm with you too!"

"Luke!" Han, Leia, and Hermione shouted simultaneously.

"Hi Han... Leia... Hermione... what's wrong?" "Well..."

"I think you'd better come with us," Wedge said, and he and Hermione led Luke away from the briefing room.

"Luke," Hermione said, "Remember Harry?" "Of course I remember Harry. What kind of question is that? What, did you find him?" "Luke, I'm sorry to have to give you the news, but..." Wedge opened the door into Ron's quarters. Hermione stepped in and swooned.

Wedge and Luke jumped ahead to catch her. "Are you okay?" Luke said.

"That's... that's impossible..." she whispered.

Ginny Weasley was sitting on the bed, kissing Harry.

And Harry was kissing back.

XXXXX

"Harry! But... you're dead!"

"Do I look dead?" He stood up and hugged Hermione.

"Oh, Harry, it is you. But... how?"

"I'll explain... as best I can. But where's Ron?" At that moment, Jan and Ron walked in. Ron's mouth flew open, and he was shaking.

"You... you..."

"Easy there, mate. Yes, I'm alive. No, you're not dreaming." "I am going to kill you!"

"What?" Harry gasped, but Ron rushed at him and put him in a crushing embrace. "Do you have any idea what you put me through? Do you?" he demanded. "How did this happen?"

"Hey, let go of me. I can't breathe."

Ron released him, and smiled.

"I think we'd all like to know that," Jan said.

"I don't quite understand myself," Harry said. "But you can thank Ginny for bringing me back."

"Ginny... when did you get here?"

"Ron, do you remember anything?"

"Not really."

"You don't remember me punching you when you tried to commit suicide?" Jan asked.

"No... wait. You punched me? I tried to commit suicide?" "I'm sorry," Jan whispered. "But I didn't see another way to stop you." "No, I'm sorry... I probably scared you then." "You did."

"And I'm sorry for making you take care of me."

"I didn't have to. You saved our lives up there in Coruscant's orbit. Helping you get through the loss was the least I could do... even though I couldn't do much."

Ron smiled. "You did more than you had to. Much more. Thank you." He turned to Hermione. "Hermione, I have to apologize to you, as well." He paused, but continued after Wedge gave him a glance. "I took out my pain of losing Harry on the first available target—which happened to be you. That's not an excuse—just a realization I got. I'm sure you felt as horrible as I did then—maybe more. And I made it only worse for you, and nearly got you killed." Wedge flinched for some reason when Ron said that. "I'm truly sorry for hurting you, and if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I would like nothing more than to be your friend again—which is far, far more than I deserve."

"Oh, Ron... I never stopped considering you my friend."

"I don't make a very good friend, do I? I abandoned you, and... I gave Harry up for dead." Harry looked at them. "Will you stop it? I don't want you to blame yourselves for that! You couldn't have known—heck, I don't know how I survived!"

"Right," Hermione said. "Friends?" she extended her hand to Ron.

"Friends," he said, taking it. Then Harry, Luke, Ginny, Wedge, and Jan all put their hands on Ron and Hermione's. "Friends," Harry said. "Always."

Jan suddenly thought of something. "You're coming with us to Endor, right?" "I guess so..."

"I'd better tell Han," Luke said. "But Harry," he prompted, "you were going to tell us what happened."

"All right. Well, it was... strange."


	49. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45.**

Am I dead?_ Harry thought._

_He was suddenly aware again... as if he woke up. But there was nothing but bright light around him... and then everything resolved._

_He was standing on the Hogwarts Quidditch field._

"_Hello, Harry," a familiar voice said._

"_Professor Dumbledore!" he gasped. "How?" _

"_One with the Force, we are," a new voice said._

"_Master Yoda? You're dead?"_

_The old Jedi Master nodded, but there was no indication of sadness._

"_And I... am I dead too?"_

"_Yes and no," Dumbledore said. "It all depends on your definition of _dead_." _

"_I don't understand."_

"_What's the last thing you remember?"_

"_I was hanging on that platform... I couldn't see or hear very clearly, but I did make out Voldemort's words. He cast the killing curse. Then... nothing, until now."_

"_What a Jedi trance is, remember, do you?" Yoda asked._

"_You told us... but there was no time to teach us how to do it..." "To go into trance voluntarily, need training you do. But in moments of peril, the body can act by itself." "Is that what happened?"_

"_I think so," Dumbledore said. "Do you remember letting go of the platform?" "No."_

"_You did. Right before Voldemort's spell hit." "Why is that significant?"_

"_You weren't hit directly, Harry. _Avada Kedavra_ is not a curse that is easily controlled... A direct hit will kill... but a glancing blow... very few cases are known... and they are all different."_

"_But if I let go... I should have fallen and my body should have smashed." "Your friend Ron was there. He caught your body." "Ron? He was just in time?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Some coincidence."_

"_Coincidence it is not," Yoda said. "Will of the Force, it is." "I guess so. Where am I now?"_

"_With the Rebel fleet, your body is."_

"_My body. And..."_

"_Your spirit?" Dumbledore asked, smiling. "It is right here." "It separated?"_

"_That's how trances work."_

"_So... can I get back?"_

"_Impossible, that is not."_

"_How? And what do I do from there?"_

"_You do what you were always meant to do," Dumbledore said. "Face Voldemort. And defeat him. And as for getting back... that is a more complicated part."_

"_When into a trance, a Jedi goes, a partner he takes. If no one is available, an external signal he sets up—when signal is given, the trance ends."_

"_Some sort of external connection is made, and that allows the spirit to return to the body," Dumbledore explained._

"_But in my case... It's permanent. There is no connection." "So one has to be made."_

"_How?"_

"_That's the problem. It has to be done by someone in the physical world. Someone has to attempt making contact with your mind."_

"_And?"_

"_And if the attempt is successful, you will return. But making that connection is not easy. You can't communicate with the physical world right now, so the person has to have a reason to try. Your body, after all, appears dead. And even if they try, the separation sets up a barrier, which is difficult to break. Your best chance is someone with whom you share a strong emotional bond."_

"_Love?"_

"_Love," a new voice said._

_Two more figures appeared next to them. An old man in a brown robe: Obi-Wan Kenobi, except here, he appeared solid and not transparent. And next to him..._

"_Ginny! How did you get here?"_

"_Harry! You..."_

"_Ginny," he moved towards her. "You're not..." _

"_Dead? No. Obi-Wan here has been giving us advice and directions for some time... He told me to use Legilemency on you... There was a lot of passive resistance... But I got through, Harry." Ginny took his hand. "Harry, come back... I love you." _

"_Ginny..."_

"_It appears," Dumbledore said, "That you found what your were looking for. You can come back."_

"_Professor... Master... am I supposed to fight Voldemort alone?" _

"_Have you learned nothing?" Yoda demanded sternly._

"_Of course," Harry remembered. _Work together, you must.

"_But... I didn't finish my training," he looked at Yoda apologetically._

_Yoda sighed. "Told Skywalker, I did, no more training did he require. Nor do you."_

"_That after all that you were put through, you still didn't succumb to hatred—that is a strength Voldemort will never have." _

"_But… he can't be killed until the last Horcrux is destroyed." Harry thought over the seven parts of Voldemort's soul. The diary and the ring had been destroyed before Dumbledore died. Slytherin's locket was found hidden by Kreacher in the Black mansion, already destroyed. Hufflepuff's cup was in the Ministry vaults, and Harry and Mr. Weasley destroyed it before his seventh year began. The snake was killed at Hogwarts on Halloween. But in all his searches, Harry was unable to locate the last Horcrux. He was as clueless as he had been when he first found out about the Horcruxes._

"_Harry," Dumbledore said, "Do you believe Voldemort having a split soul makes him stronger?"_

_Harry blinked. "Doesn't it? You can't just kill him!" _

"_Believes that, Voldemort does," Yoda said. "Right he is, do you think?" _

"_What you're forgetting, Harry, is that Voldemort committed an unnatural act—that's what splitting the soul is. That can create problems. The chief of which," he gave Harry a careful look, "is the possibility of destroying both parts of the soul by turning them on each other." _

_Harry didn't quite understand, but he sensed that Dumbledore didn't know more than he said._

"_What about the Emperor?"_

"_Ahh… met him, you did."_

"_Yes… I tried to fight him. I wasn't powerful enough." _

"_Captured by the dark side, you were at the time. Convert you, he tried?" _

"_Yes."_

"_But resisted you have. Resist you can again. Aware of his power you are now." _

"_But why? What does the Emperor want with me?" _

"_Do you remember how I told you that Lord Voldemort does not have friends?" _

"_Yes. But what does that have to—"_

"_How do you define a friend, Harry?"_

_Harry realized he never really considered a definition. His friends were… well, friends. How did one define a concept like friendship? It was easier to say what friendship wasn't…_

"_I guess… someone I can trust. Someone who will never turn on me. Someone whom I can let stand behind me with a weapon because I know that no matter what they are offered for going against me, they will not do it." He realized as he spoke that that definition included Ron, and Hermione, and Ginny, and Neville, and Luke, and everyone else he would consider a friend. "But I still don't—" _

"_Think carefully. Does the Emperor have anyone who fits that definition?" _

"_No."_

"_Does Vader?"_

"_No." _

"_Trust, you said," Yoda told him. "Trust each other, the Sith do not. Destroys trust, the dark side does."_

_Harry looked around him. Obi-Wan seemed very uncomfortable when Yoda said that. Harry wanted to ask him, but there was no time._

"_You can be part of a team, Harry. Voldemort can't. Good luck." "Harder task, before Skywalker is," Yoda noted._

"_Why is that?"_

"_Tell you, he will… when he is ready. Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force… but beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression—the dark side of the Force are they."_

"_I know."_

"_Then," Dumbledore said, "Neither of us can teach you anything more. It is up to you." _

_Harry lowered his head. "You're not alone Harry. You never were." _

"_May the Force be with you," Yoda said. Then both he and Dumbledore vanished._

"_Well, Harry? Are you coming? Or is being dead so much fun?" _

"_Of course I'm coming, Ginny." With that took Ginny in his arms and kissed her._

_And he awoke inside his body, lying on the bed and being kissed by the _real_ Ginny._

XXXXX

"Not easy to believe," Ron said. "But then, the evidence is right in front of me." "So what's happening now?" Harry asked.

"The Empire has been building another Death Star," Hermione told him. "We're going to attack it."

"So it's back to flying X-wings for us?"

"I'll be flying," Hermione said. "Ron will be part of the commando team we're sending ahead."

"I'm coming with you," Harry said.

"So will I," said Ginny.

"No."

"What?"

"No," Ron repeated. "You're not going with us. It's too dangerous." "No, she should come," Harry said.

"Harry! You just nearly died yourself and you want Ginny to risk her life like that? She should stay here, where it's—"

"Safe?" Harry's gaze bore into his friend. "Is it?" Ron thought for some time.

"I know it's dangerous," Ginny protested. "Why won't you let me make my own decisions?"

"Ron, this fleet is going into battle. _All of it_. There is no safe place. I'd rather have Ginny come with us, where we can protect each other."

Ron tried again. "The commanders won't let you." Luke, who'd left to talk to Han after Harry finished his story, stepped in. "Actually, they—or rather, _Han—_will." "No way!"

Harry laughed. "You've been outvoted, Ron. Deal with it. Who knows, you might end up grateful."

"I doubt it," Ron resigned himself.

"My overprotective brother," Ginny shook her head, forcing Harry, Jan, and Hermione to explode with laugher.

"Come on, we have to get you ready," Jan said. She, Ginny, and Hermione left. So did Wedge and Luke. Ron and Harry sat quietly for a moment.

Ron was the first to interrupt the silence. "Oh, I almost forgot. Right before I saw you falling, _this_ hit our craft." He handed Harry the lightsaber he caught on Coruscant.

"My lightsaber!" Harry said. "It's the one I fought Voldemort with." "Well, you know how to use it."

"Do I? I wonder..." he looked around, and picked up a piece of steel piping. "Ron, throws this at me."

"What?"

"Throw it. Aim to hit me. As hard as you can." Ron shook his head, but took a few steps away from Harry, swung the bar a few times, and then launched it at him.

The lightsaber came on, and the amethyst blur danced in front of Harry. Less than a second later, he shut it down.

The bar was lying on the floor in seven pieces.

"Whoa..." Ron said.

Harry sighed. "If only the real stuff was this easy," he said. "And Ron?" "What?"

"Can I have my wand back?"

"Sure." Ron gave it to him. "I'll ask Hermione to borrow hers." "Will she let you?"

"I'll beg, and grovel if necessary."

"Hey, don't. If she won't... I'll try to do without one. And if I meet Darth Vader," he smiled, "I'll ask him to give yours back."

At that, Ron laughed. "I'll hold you to that," he said.

Harry clasped his friend's shoulder. "It's good to be back," he said.

"It's good to have you back, mate. I should have known you weren't dead."

"Let's put this behind us." He chuckled. "This'll be a great memory for a Patronus."

"True. We should get a Dementor and test it out."

"Come on. We still need to pack our gear. How long before we leave?"

Ron glanced at his chrono. "Just under an hour."


	50. Chapter 46

Chapter 46.

Ron and Harry met up with Jan, Wedge, Ginny and Hermione at the hangar entrance, where the stolen Imperial shuttle was waiting.

Han and Lando were standing on the ramp of the shuttle. "I'll take good care of her," Lando was saying. "She won't get a scratch."

Han nodded, then started up the ramp. He then turned back towards Lando.

"I have your promise now… not a scratch!"

Lando laughed. "Would you get going, you pirate!" "What're you talking about?" Ron asked the general as they approached.

"Han gave me the _Falcon _to fly in the battle."

"Wow," Ron said. He knew, better than almost anyone, how much Han cared about his ship. "Uhm, Hermione?" he said. "Can I ask you a favor?"

Hermione looked at him. "Yes?"

"Well, I've been using Harry's wand for most of the past year, but now, Harry asked me to give it back. Could I borrow yours?"

Hermione thought about it.

"Well..."

"Harry said he'd ask Darth Vader to return mine."

Hermione laughed. "Can't count on that, can we? Here," she handed her wand to Ron. "It's not much use when you're flying an X-wing. You need it, and so does Harry. More than I do."

"All right. You're a lifesaver, Hermione."

She laughed. If I find any damage…"

"Don't worry."

"Right. Harry, is there any specific reason you need your wand? You could have borrowed mine instead."

Harry thought about it. He never told his friends the reason, but he couldn't see why the secret should be kept anymore. "You know I have a phoenix feather as the core of my wand?"

"Yes."

"It came from Fawkes."

"Fawkes… Dumbledore's phoenix?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. As had one other feather that found its way into a wand. Mr. Ollivander said my wand had a brother."

Ron shook his head. "Okay, so what difference does that make?" "Care to guess who has the other wand?"

Ginny gasped. "You can't mean…" "It is. Voldemort."

"How long have you known?"

"Since I bought the wand."

"Wow," Ron said.

"I have a feeling it's going to be important," Harry said.

Silence broke out for a few seconds.

"Take care of yourselves," Hermione said finally.

"You too," Harry told her.

"And by the way, since I outrank you," she looked at Ron, "That's an order," she smiled.

Ron gave her a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am."

She laughed. "You're insufferable. I don't know how Jan is going to put up with you. Merlin knows _I_'ve tried."

"Hey!" Jan shouted.

"I could say the same for Wedge," Ron glanced at the pilot, who chuckled and put his arm around Hermione.

"Good luck," the Corellian said.

"To all of us," Lando added. "Just bring the shield down—we'll do fine."

"We will," Harry assured him. "May the Force be with you."

Lando and Wedge shook hands with Ron, Jan and Harry. Hermione rushed in to give each of her friends a hug. "Stay safe," she whispered into each one's ear.

Ron, Jan, and Harry entered the shuttle and headed up to the cockpit. "No," Han was saying, "I don't think the Empire had Wookiees in mind when they designed her, Chewie."

"Definitely not," Ron said as he took his seat. The viewport showed a hangar filled with rebel fighters and a battered, saucer-shaped freighter.

Han turned to Ron. "What, no comment on "piece of junk", "bucket of bolts", anything like that?"

"You should have seen the thing me and Jan flew in from Coruscant. Compared to that, the _Falcon_ might have left the factory yesterday."

"Hey," Leia nudged Han, "You awake?"

"Yeah, I just got a funny feeling... like I'm not gonna see her again."

"Come on, General. Let's move."

"Right. Chewie, let's see what this piece of junk can do. Ready everybody?"

"All set," Luke said.

"Ready," Harry said.

"Affirmative," Jan acknowledged.

"Here we go again," Threepio muttered. Ron smiled. Some things didn't change.

The shuttle lifted off, gracefully flew out of the hangar, and separating from the fleet, set its course. The Wookiee pulled the hyperdrive lever, and the starfield ahead of them vanished.

Harry looked at his girlfriend. "Ginny," he said. "There is something you should know."

"What?"

"The trouble has started."

XXXXX

Chewbacca nudged the hyperdrive lever, and the shuttle reverted to realspace.

"Whoa..." Ron said.

"It certainly looked impressive. A small green planet, the incomplete Death Star orbiting it, and in between it and them, a fleet of Star Destroyers. _If only they knew..._

_If they knew, this place would be swarming with TIE fighters..._

"It's beautiful," Ginny said.

"Apart from the fact that they can blow us into smoke with one shot, yes," Harry told her.

"I meant the planet."

"Oh."

"If they don't go for this, we're gonna have to get out of here pretty quick," Han said.

"We have you on our screen now," they received a transmission. "Please identify."

Han leaned in. "Shuttle _Tyderium_, requesting deactivation of the deflector shield."

"Shuttle _Tyderium, _transmit your clearance code for shield passage," the reply came.

Chewie growled.

"Transmission commencing," Han answered.

Ron gave Harry a worried look.

"Now we'll find out if that code's worth the price we paid," Leia said absentmindedly.

"It'll work," Han assured her. "It'll work." Ron knew the smuggler well enough to realize he didn't feel the confidence he was projecting.

Harry suddenly reached to his forehead and touched his scar. Ron stared at his friend.

"Vader is on that ship," Luke whispered.

Han turned. "Now don't get jittery, Luke. There are a lot of command ships."

"No," Harry said. "I felt something too."

"Keep your distance, though, Chewie," Han told the Wookiee. "But don't look like you're trying to keep your distance."

Chewie bellowed for an explanation.

"I don't know. Fly causal," Han replied.

"Harry," Ginny whispered, "is it—"

She didn't finish, since then, another transmission came in. But Ron knew what she must have been thinking. _Is it Voldemort?_

"Shuttle _Tyderium_, what is your cargo and destination?" the Imperial asked.

"Parts and technical crew for the forest moon," Han said.

There were a few silent seconds.

"I'm endangering the mission, I shouldn't have come," Luke murmured. Ron glanced from Luke to Harry, trying to decide who looked more worried.

"It's your imagination, kid," Han said. "Come on, let's keep a little optimism here." But his tone changed and was no longer flippant.

The shuttle approached the enormous bridge tower of the Star Destroyer.

Ron took Jan's hand and squeezed it. She lifted her eyebrows at him. He looked at Harry, who had his arm around Ginny.

They were flying very close to the Imperial ship, and they still haven't received a reply. "They're not going for it, Chewie," Han said.

The Wookiee replied with a moan.

"Shuttle _Tyderium_," the answer finally came, "deactivation of the shield will commence immediately. Follow your present course."

Everyone in the cockpit except Luke and Harry smiled and allowed themselves a sigh of relief. "Okay," Han chuckled, "I told you it's gonna work. No problem."

The shuttle continued past the Star Destroyer, and headed towards the planet. As they descended, continents, oceans, and forests became visible.

_They don't call it the forest moon for nothing,_ Ron thought. The dark green cover obscured the actual planetary surface below them. When they were low enough, Ron could see that the trees looked like very large pines. _At least it's not a huge city_, he thought. No matter how much gold they had, no one would be able to make him live on Coruscant. EVER.

Han found a clearing, landed the shuttle, and shut down the engines. "All right," he said. "We've gotta get to the shield generator early tomorrow morning at the latest, and it's quite a hike."

All of them were wearing camouflage cloaks over dark jumpsuits. Ginny, who was used to wizarding robes, looked rather uncomfortable. Ron smiled as Harry helped her out of the shuttle, and whispered something in her ear.

"Hey," Jan said. "What are you thinking?"

"I was trying to remember what was the last time I was in a forest. More than three months, that's for sure."

"Coruscant does that to you," she said. "Thinking about nature..."

"I guess..."

Jan leaned in and kissed him. Ron was so surprised he didn't respond.

"What was that for? Not that I minded, but—"

"Just that we might not have time for any more for a while." She nudged him towards the rest of the group, which was almost ready to move. She gave him another kiss. "For luck," she said, beaming at him.

He chuckled. As he headed up the trail with the rest of the team, he looked at her and smiled. "Thanks. That was the best good-luck wish I've ever received."


	51. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47.**

The team had been walking for several hours when Han held up his hand, ordering them to stop. Harry moved up and saw a pair of stormtroopers in the clearing ahead.

"You stay put," Han whispered. "Chewie and I'll handle this." With that, the smuggler and the Wookiee crawled ahead.

Harry watched them and nudged Ron. "Come on."

Ron, following Harry, crawled off to the side of the path. When Ginny turned to them, Harry pressed his finger to this lips.

Ginny started to move, but Harry made an angry gesture, motioning her down. She nodded.

Han must have reached the stormtroopers, since Harry heard shouts, and blaster fire, followed by the whine of speeder bike engines. Crawling over a fallen tree trunk, he and Ron saw two more troopers hurrying to their vehicles.

"Let's go," he said, picking up his Firebolt. Ron grabbed on behind him and they took off.

An explosion roared below them. Ron whooped. Harry was too concentrated on flying, but he briefly saw—before they sped out of sight—two Imperials being chased by a bike carrying two people in rebel uniforms.

"Harry watch out!" Ron shouted, although Harry was already dodging the bolts being sent their way from below. He looked down. Four more Imperials. _Just our luck_.

"Ron, take over!" he said, and, not giving his friend the time to ask any questions, dropped off the broom. Using the Force, he twisted himself into the right position and gave one of the Imperials a hefty mid-air kick, sending him tumbling off his bike. Harry took his place.

"_Stupefy!_" he heard Ron yell as he swooped past him, taking out the closest stormtrooper. Harry took his bike after the remaining two. They were speeding towards each other, firing streams of red bolts, hoping to catch him in the crossfire. Harry let his instincts take over, dodging their fire. He tried firing himself, but his guns wouldn't work. However, he did get an idea...

His bike was going to pass between the two enemies. Through enhanced perception the Force gave him, he could see them draw their sidearms in preparation... He smiled. Just as the stormtroopers were about to fire, Harry took a Force-enhanced jump to the right. His bike, reacting, veered off and crashed into the trooper passing on the left, taking both out in the explosion. Harry landed with his lightsaber drawn, ready to face the last Imperial.

He needn't have bothered. In mid-air,the bike, along with its rider, came to a sudden stop and exploded.

He looked further and saw Ron lower his wand. Shutting off the lightsaber, he ran towards him.

"Ron, we did it!" he shouted. Ron looked at him and cringed. Harry frowned. "Ron, what's wrong?" Instead of answering, Ron lifted up a strange piece of burned wood. The end, much wider than the rest, was composed of thin filaments turned black from the fire, some of which were still smoking.

Harry gasped as he realized that this was all that remained of his Firebolt.

XXX

"I'm sorry," Ron managed.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"That guy you kicked off—he had a grenade."

"And you couldn't avoid it? Harry stared at his friend. Ron was a good Quidditch player, and Bludgers were much faster than any thrown grenade.

"You don't understand," Ron explained. "He didn't _throw_ it. He simply detonated it. Took himself out as well. I barely could cast the shield charm on myself."

"Ron, it's okay."

"No, it's not! I'll never be able to repay you..."

This made Harry angry. "Do you think I care! It's a stupid broomstick, for crying out out loud! You think I'm not going to be your friend anymore because of this?"

"Harry—"

"Forget it. Broomsticks can be replaced."

"Not here."

"So? We'll get back home... but," he smiled, "Would you stay there?" "What do you mean?" But Ron was rapidly moving his eyes, avoiding Harry's gaze.

Harry laughed. "Come on. Don't tell me you don't like the company." "The company?"

"The company of a certain female I won't name," Harry finished, smiling.

Ron flushed. "There's nothing between me and Jan!" "Yet," Harry countered.

Ron said nothing, but Harry understood. He decided to stop teasing his friend.

"Lets' get back," he said. They had to rejoin the rest of the Rebel infiltration squad before nightfall.

However, only a few minutes into their trip, Harry raised his hand and stopped.

Ron ran up. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Harry said. He headed towards an enormous tree twenty feet away.

"Harry, what—" Ron tried, but Harry, as he was circling the tree, suddenly switched into a ready stance, raising and igniting his lightsaber.

And he came face to face with Mara Jade.

XXX

"You!" Ron yelled, drawing his wand. "_Stupefy!_"

Mara fell. Harry glared at his friend.

"What?" Ron demanded. "She's the one who kidnapped Hermione. She captured you. She works for the Empire. She—"

"Ron, I know all that," Harry said. "But she also helped me escape from the Emperor." "What!" Ron screamed. "And you didn't tell us?"

"Seemed to be no point at the time," Harry defended himself. "I didn't think we'd meet again." "You know, she still hasn't told me..."

"Told you what?"

"Ron, does she look in any way familiar?" Harry asked.

"Well," he said, "She could be a long-lost cousin with that hair of hers—but come on, Harry. That's not possible."

"Maybe not," Harry agreed. "But it is somehow possible to make her look exactly like my mother." "What?" Ron yelled again. "How?"

"I don't know... but I thought she _was_ my mother when we first met. That's why I hesitated back there... and she took advantage of it."

"How could you think she—"

"I told you, she looks _exactly_ like her. I've studied those photos for hours, I wouldn't make a mistake like that. And I think she knows why."

"Harry, she's an Imperial. You don't trust her just because... well..." "Not really," he said, taking the lightsaber off the woman's belt and removing the blaster from her hip. "At least," he said, "not until I get some answers. _Enervate!_" The woman stirred, turned over, saw both Harry and Ron pointing wands at her. "Stupid," she muttered.

"Mara Jade," Harry said.

"Harry Potter," she replied. "And this is?"

"Ron Weasley," Harry supplied. He looked at Mara carefully. "You're alive." She snorted. "I am not that easy to kill," she said simply. "You, of all people, should know that." "Who do you think—" Ron started, but Harry held him up.

"You know," he told Mara, "I have absolutely no reason to trust you. "And you yourself admitted as much. Our escape was too simple... and then we were conveniently separated, leaving me to face Voldemort alone. So you better have a proper explanation for everything."

"Everything," Mara asked?

"Everything," Harry repeated. "Starting with how you came to look like my mother." "Well," Mara said, "I guess—"

"Wait a moment," Harry glared at her. "Your blaster." "What?"

"The one in your sleeve."

"Oh." Disappointment came over her face, but her expression also bore a tinge of... _respect_? If Harry had to guess, he would say exactly that.

"Like I was saying," Mara started when Ron put the blaster away, "I guess what I am is the bet place to start. Potter... I am your mother's clone."

"A what?" Ron demanded.

"A clone. Genetic replica, grown in a vat from your mother's cells." "I know what a clone is," Harry said. He did... sort of. The last summer he spent with the Dursleys, the news of cloning had been all over Muggle TV. "Messing around with nature, they," Uncle Vernon declared. He turned to Mara.

"Oh, rubbish," Ron interrupted his thoughts. "Harry, you don't believe that load of—" "Ron!" Harry yelled. "Later." He turned back to Mara.

"All right," he said, "How long have you known?"

"About three months. I've been searching since our battle at Bespin. You said I looked like your mother, and I thought that was impossible, as well."

"Why were you after me?" Harry demanded.

"I was ordered to bring you in by my Master."

"Palpatine," Harry supplied. Mara nodded.

"Let me guess," he continued, "kidnapping Hermione was just a way to get to me, since you had no idea where I disappeared off to." Mara gave him another nod.

"You—" Ron attempted again, but Harry gave him another sharp stare.

"Why did you help me escape, and how did you get into the prison?" "I didn't like the truth when I found out," she said simply.

"The truth?"

"The truth. You see, I know you're not from this galaxy... from another world, for lack of a better term. I thought I was special—the Emperor's Hand." Ron gasped at that. Harry had more control, but he still flinched. "When I broke into the files, I found out that first, I wasn't the only one—and second, that I was only a product of a biological experiment to test the compatibility of humans from the two worlds. And so... I left."

"Just like that?" Harry laughed. "Uhm, Your Majesty... I quit?" Mara sighed. "Hardly. His agents are still after me—I've killed at least four of them in the last month alone. I also had to block my mind so he couldn't find me in the Force."

"So why expose yourself by helping me escape?"

She gave a mirthless laugh. "I'd like to say it was all noble and that I wanted to atone for my past—and it's partially was. But mostly... it was for my own protection."

"Explain."

"He wanted you alive. I knew—or rather, I guessed—that he would try to turn you into his service. It would be just like him to give the job of hunting me down as your first assignment."

At that, Harry was silent. He knew all too well what anger, hatred, and vengeance could do. No doubt he would have eagerly taken on the job.

"Voldemort," Harry said. "How did he get here?"

"He's somebody from your world, right?" Receiving confirmation, Mara continued, "I don't know. I never came a cross the name in any files I looked at. But I assure you, I didn't lead you to him. That gate crashing down was a surprise for me as much as for you. If that was a trap, it was rather poorly planned."

"Really?"

"Yes. For one thing, it depended on me walking ahead of you. If it had been the other way, I would be the one facing that... Voldemort."

Harry nodded. "All right," he said. "Why are you here now?" "I didn't know if you were dead or alive, but if you lived, I guessed you would be here," she answered. "As I said, I _do_ wish to atone for my past actions... so I brought some vital information to your commander." "What information?" Ron demanded.

"I will give it to your commander," Mara said.

Harry breathed heavily. "All right," he said. With that, he handed Mara her lightsaber and sidearm.

Ron gasped, but Harry took the holdout blaster and returned it as well.

"Harry, you can't..."

Harry stopped. "Why not?" he asked.

"Just because she looks like your mother—"

"First, Ron, it's rude to talk about a person as if they aren't there. Second, I don't trust Mara because she looks like my mother."

"Then why?" "Because my feelings tell me it's the right thing to do."

"Your feelings. Just like that."

"You trusted Lando," Harry pointed out.

"Well, I still—"

"Excuse me, maybe we should get going?" Mara interrupted them.

Harry nodded. "You're right," he said. "Come on."

They took off. Harry was walking in front, seemingly relaxed. Behind him, Mara was scanning the surrounding as she moved forward. Ron brought up the rear, hand on his wand, keeping an eye on Mara.


	52. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48.**

"Raise you twenty," Wedge said.

Wes Janson threw his cads in. "I'm out."

Tycho Celchu did the same.

"I call," Pash Cracken said.

"So do I," added Hermione.

At this moment, the randomizer struck. Hermione looked at her new cards, and closed her eyes, thinking.

Wedge placed his cards in the interference field. "Raise, fifty," he said.

"You're bluffing," Pash replied. "Raise, eighty."

"Hermione?" Wedge said. She lifted her head, glancing at the table. "Call." "I think you're the one who's bluffing," Wedge looked at Pash.

"Am I? Go." "Very well. Two hundred ninety seven," he said, throwing all of his chips into the pot.

Pash looked a bit disconcerted at this, but he matched Wedge's chips, having only a few decicreds left.

Hermione leaned back in her chair, took a deep breath, and called. The pot was now more than a thousand...

Both Wedge and Pash seemed surprised at the move. Wedge shook his head and flipped his cards. There was a Commander of staves and seven of flasks. Twenty-two.

"I wasn't bluffing," he said.

"Neither," Pash declared triumphantly, "was I." He revealed his cards. Mistress and nine, both coins. Twenty-three, or pure sabacc.

"How does a man get that lucky?" Wedge grumbled.

"He doesn't," Hermione told him.

"What?"

She flipped over her three cards. Two of sabers, three of staves, and...

The Idiot.

Raking in her chips, Hermione laughed. "That's what happens when you think the other person isn't paying attention."

"Has anyone ever told you that you are evil?" Wedge said.

She tossed her head back. "That's me. The little evil witch. Yaow!" she yelled as Wedge grabbed her from behind.

"What, afraid?" Wedge whispered in her ear.

Hermione was about to answer when Pash interrupted them. "Excuse me," he said, " But I'd like to speak with Captain Granger. In an _official_ capacity," he added.

Hermione pulled herself out of Wedge's arms, straightened her uniform and stood up. "In an official capacity," she repeated. "Sir."

"Don't worry, this won't take long. "You know I'm commanding Blade Squadron. That's Squadron Two of Gold Group. I need an experienced pilot for an XO. Would you like the job?"

Hermione thought for a few seconds, but her mind was already made up. In fact, she was planning to ask for something along these lines. "I accept," she said.

"Hermione, what—" Wedge begun.

"Wedge, you know why. It's not a good idea for you to have a... relationship with a subordinate. I'm surprised Command allowed it to last this long without transferring me."

"Well, we didn't fight any major battles at the time, did we. You're right, of course. Not a good idea. But it always felt good having you watch my back."

She smiled an took his hand. "I know. But, since I _will_ be leaving... don't you think we should spend as much time together as possible?"

Pash headed for the exit. "I trust that you will be with our unit tomorrow., Captain Granger. _On time." "_I am never late, Major," she said. That seemed to satisfy Pash, but now Wedge looked at her curiously.

"Never? Not once in your life?"

"Well..." she started, "there was this one time in third year when..." Wedge laughed and embraced her. Hermione knew that despite the ease, tomorrow's battle weighted very heavily on both their minds. _If the ground team fails..._

No. She would not let herself think that. In fact, right now, she wouldn't let herself think of anything.

Anything except Wedge.

XXXXXXX

Ron, Harry and Mara were heading towards a group of lights in the distance. Approaching closer, they saw that there was an entire village there, built partially on the ground, but mostly in the trees, with narrow bridges connecting them. They carefully hid on the outskirts, not wanting to be seen.

"I thought Endor was devoid of native intelligent life," Mara said. "Guess those scouts bungled up. Again."

"Harry," Ron whispered, "Are you sure we're in the right place?" "They're here," he replied. "At least," he continued, "Ginny is." "So how do we get there?"

"What is it Ron?" Harry chuckled. "Afraid?" He saw two creatures standing at the nearest walkway heading up to a tree platform. They resembled large teddy bears, and were armed with spears. They had enormous eyes that constantly scanned their surroundings.

"I am not afraid," Ron defended himself. "But the goal _isn't _to fight them, is it? If it was, I wouldn't worry so much."

"We could use the mind trick," Mara suggested.

"Too many, even for both of us," Harry said. "But I do have an idea..." "The invisibility cloak!" Ron exclaimed. "I have it... right... here..." His voice was suddenly full of fear. "Oh, no..." "Ron! You lost my invisibility cloak!"  
"I'm sorry! I guess it fell out in the fight with the biker troops."

Harry shook his head. "Ron..." He was angry, but he had developed enough control to hide it. In the large scheme of things, it wasn't a big deal... but he loved that cloak.

"Fortunately, I was thinking of something else. _Chameleo," _he whispered, pointing his wand at himself.

"Potter!" Mara demanded. "Where are you?"

"Right here," he clasped her shoulder from behind. Mara spun around, instinctively drawing her lightsaber, but stopped herself from igniting it. Ron tensed.

"It's okay, Ron. Any of us would have done the same." He turned back to Mara. "Ready? I'm going to cast the same spell yon you." Mara nodded. "_Chameleo_," Harry said, and Mara also vanished. From view.

Ron cast the spell on himself. Harry raised his wand and cast the Sound Bubble charm around them.

"Now they can't hear us, either. Come on."

They carefully walked towards he bridge. But as they passed by both guards suddenly rose and sniffed the air vigorously. They lifted their spears and headed towards them. Mara, Ron, and Harry ran up the walkway before they could be intercepted. After they made up into the platform surrounding the tree, Harry sighed. "Why didn't I remember about the smell?"

"We're here. Let's find the rest," Ron said.

As they made their way through he village, both Harry and Mara were surprised that it appeared empty. But he place was obviously not deserted, so harry supposed everyone was at some village assembly. They moved to get closer to the concentration of lights.

They walked onto another platform, looked down, and gasped, It took Harry a fraction of a second to take everything in. Man of the teddy bear-like creatures, Threepio sitting in a large wooden chair, the creatures giving him a good deal of room, Leia pleading with them, spears aimed at her, and Han, Luke, Jan, Chewbacca, and Artoo hanging upside down over fire pits were fires were either starting or ready to be started. There was no sign of Ginny.

Harry and Mara drew their lightsabers.

"On three," Ron said, taking out his wand. "One. Two. Th—" But then, they heard screams from below. The native creatures were running in panic, pursued by the throne with Threepio on it, hovering in the air. Threepio's head was surrounded by bright blue and green glowing globes, which spun wildly, periodically dropping down to the ground level, sending further waves of panic. The whole scene was somewhat funny, especially since Threepio sounded as terrified as the creatures.

Jump onto that platform, but don't draw your lightsaber," Harry said. "Now!" The three of them jumped, landing next to Threepio, whose throne was finally settled back on the raised platform. The natives released their captives, whom they were attempting to cook a few moments before. Artoo immediately chased one of them, firing his electric spark weapon. Harry laughed.

"Thanks, Threepio," Luke told his droid. "Ginny, I think you've gone a bit overboard with those things." He pointed at the glowing spheres still hovering over Threepio's head.

Harry heard a nearby swoosh and saw Ginny pop from under the invisibility cloak. "Hi, Harry." "You saved my cloak!" Harry exclaimed. He pulled Ginny to himself and kissed her.

"Hey," Ron approached him, "go somewhere—"

He was interrupted by Jan's kiss. Harry shook his head. "Nothing going on, huh? He asked. He turned to Luke. "What happened?"

"Well, Threepio offered to tell our story to the Ewoks," Luke said. "They might help us. Who's that?" Luke asked suddenly.

"Oh. That's Mara Jade. It's... well, it's a long story, but I think we can trust her now. She says she has information vital to our mission."

"But she has a—"

"Lightsaber?" Harry prompted. "Yes. And she knows how to use it." He remembered the Bespin battle.

Luke glanced at him curiously, but said nothing, heading towards the largest building. Putting his arm around Ginny, Harry followed.


	53. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49.**

While Threepio was narrating the story of the Rebellion to the Ewoks, Han, Leia, Luke, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Chewie, Jan, Artoo, and Mara gathered in the corner. "Mara," Harry began, "what do you know that you would only tell our commander?" he asked, pointing at Han."

Mara looked around. "Well, there are two things I found out while snooping in Palpatine's private files," she said as if that was something routine.

"Give us the good news the first," Han said.

"Neither item can be _good_ news, I suppose. I could give you the better one. There's a legion of stormtroopers guarding the shield generator."

Everyone sat in silence, absorbing the information. Ron and Leia appeared especially distraught.

"You don't do things by half, do you, Jade?" Han finally spoke. "That was the better part? What's worse?"

Mara looked at him. 'That Death Star up there—it's operational." Even deeper silence gripped the small group. Jan glanced at her chrono. "We still can recall the fleet," she said. "But we only got a few hours." Harry thought about Hermione, who'd be going into a trap. _It did seem too simple..._

"Can we warn them?" he asked.

"No," Leia said. "We have only a short-burst recall signal. Even that's risky, but if we try anything more, they'll locate us here for sure."

"If it was just the extra troops, I'd recall," Han said quietly. "We might have gotten another chance." "But that's the problem, right? It's not just the troops," Ron retorted.

"Right. So you know what we'll do?"

"What?" Ginny asked.

"We proceed," Han replied. "We get in there as fast as we can, and blow the thing before they can bring substantial reinforcements. And then we run off, and the Imps can waste their time chasing us through the woods while the fleet does its job."

This stunned everyone into silence once more. "Han, are you certain—" Leia began.

"As certain as ever, Princess. You know this is our only chance." Mara shook her head. "You know, I used to think that the Rebellion was the biggest insane asylum in the galaxy." "And now?" Harry asked her, a glint in his eyes.

"Now? Now I don't _think_ so—I _know _that it is."

"You're judged by the company you keep," Luke told her. "So what does that make you?" Mara looked at him. "I try not to think about that, Skywalker."

Han was about to say something when Threepio interrupted them. "Excellent. We are now part of the tribe."

"Just what I've always wanted," Han grumbled lightly as several Ewoks ran up to him and tried to hug his legs. Harry chuckled, and, freeing himself, led Ginny outside.

XXXXXX

"Ginny," Harry said.

"Harry," she replied, stifling a laugh.

"I have to go."

"What?"

"Voldemort," he said. "He's nearby."

"So?" Ginny demanded. "You don't have to go after him." "Actually, I do," he said.

"Why?"

"Because otherwise, he'll be able to do anything else. A legion of stormtroopers is bad enough. What if he shows up there tomorrow?"

"But why?"

"Because I am the only one who has a chance against him." "There's more to it than that. There always is."

Harry closed his eyes. _Ginny knows me too well_.

"You know, we've spent months on the run from the Empire... right after Yavin. And after every escape, Leia would gather us all and give a speech."

"About what?" "She never actually repeated herself, but the main theme was that, despite being on the run, we were not defeated, because we would fight again. The only way for the Empire to stop us from fighting was to kill us. And that, according to Leia, made them weak."

"And?"

"We could have, at almost any time, dispersed in the galaxy under assumed names, and lived out the rest of our lives in relative safety... as loyal Imperial subjects."

"Right."

"Exactly. There are times when you have to run. There are times when you need to hide. But there are times when you have to turn, and make a stand, whatever the cost." He gestured up to the sky and around. "The pilots and the fleet is doing that. Ron and Han and the rest of the team are doing that... Luke is doing that. And so must I."

"You don't think you have a choice?" "I wish I didn't. That's what makes it so hard. That I do have choices. The same choices that I always had."

"You _always_ had choices?" Ginny looked shocked.

"Yes. I already gave you one of them. Run. Run and hide. That was possible even back in our world... it's easier here."

"Go on."

"And I could always... join them."

"_What!_"

"It's true. I could have turned to their ways for power. Both Voldemort and Palpatine offered that to me... The offers have been tempting. I still hear them in my mind."

Ginny reeled back in shock. "That's horrible..."

"I know. Believe me, I know."

Ginny signed. "You're not going to change your mind?" "No." He squeezed her shoulders. "I can't."

"Then let me come with you."

"No. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to think about anything but protecting you if you're there. He'll use that, and kill both of us."

Tears streaked down Ginny's face. She stroked his hair. Wanting desperately to comfort her, and knowing he couldn't, he gently put his arm around her.

"You've changed," she whispered.

Harry knew she was right. "War does that to people. You're not the same either." Ginny buried her face in his chest. Harry held her close. "Say good-bye to Ron for me." "You won't..."

"One goodbye is hard enough." He lifted her head up and gave her a warm, deep kiss. "I love you, Ginny."

"I love you, too. Come back, will you?"

He didn't want to give her a promise he might not be able to keep. He wanted to say he'd try, but Yoda's voice entered his mind... _There is no try_. He kissed her again, and then, with an enormous effort, let her go, and started walking. At the edge of the platform, he turned back. "May the Force be with you, Ginny," he said. He then turned and headed off into the forest.

"You too, Harry. You too," Ginny said to herself. But Harry heard her, and smiled. _I'm doing this for you, Ginny_.


	54. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50.**

_Harry was standing in a dark room, raising his purple lightsaber for a blow._

"_What's the matter, Potter! Can't do it?" a harsh, mocking voice came from the side._

_Harry lowered his blade, then raised it again..._

"_Harry, no!" she yelled instinctively._

_Suddenly, instead of Harry and the dark room, she saw a familiar face... All too familiar... a redheaded woman with bright green eyes..._

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Hermione woke up, screaming.

_Calm down, calm down... It was only a dream._

_Or was it?_

Wedge stirred beside her. "Hermione?"

"It's all right, Wedge."

He was fully awake now. "No, it's not. Nightmare?"

Hermione nodded.

"Back home, Harry was famous—or infamous, for those who had to share the dorm with him—for his nightmares. Now, I'm having them..."

Wedge chuckled. "There's nothing wrong with having nightmares. Especially when you're fighting a war. It doesn't mean you're weak, or cowardly, or unstable—just human."

"Do _you_ have nightmares?"

"I do. Mostly about people who died under my command." He kissed her. "And along the same lines you mentioned—you wouldn't have wanted to share quarters with Luke in the aftermath of Yavin."

"Because of Biggs?"

"Yes."

Hermione nodded. "It's just that this one... it seemed to show the future. Harry was fighting someone..."

"You're worried about him."

"There's got to be more to it than that. It was too detailed. And I worry for all of us. You, Ron, Leia, Ginny, Han, Jan..."

"They worry about us, too."

"I know," she said. She decided not to tell him she saw the woman who kidnapped her, as well. That was just too strange.

"I almost regret dropping Divination now... maybe it would have made some sense."

"Doubtful. From what Luke told me—"

"Luke?"

"He mentioned the visions he sometimes had... he said they are rarely clear—even when they seem so. I wouldn't know, myself. Maybe it's your magic abilities..."

Hermione nodded. "I guess it's just pre-battle stress."

Wedge smiled. "Remember that conversation about your attempts to find a way back to your world? You probably can do it now. Ron's sister found a way."

"Maybe..." she muttered.

"You're not going to?"

"Now? Do you even need to ask?"

"I guess not. But eventually, do you plan to return?"

"Yes, I do. There are a lot of people I want to see. But as for going back permanently... I don't know." She held on to him, silent.

"I'm used to negotiating two worlds, you know," she said. "I can manage. First, we have to make it through the battle tomorrow. Then we can discuss our future."

Wedge kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you, Wedge. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Hermione," he whispered. The last thing she remembered was him gently squeezing her hand.

XXXXXX

Harry walked through the forest. But if the strength of his feelings was an indication, Voldemort was with the fleet above rather than on the moon. If that was the case, he'd have to sneak into an Imperial outpost and steal a ship.

Something rustled very close, and Harry immediately turned and ignited his lightsaber. The purple blade cast light onto the face of Mara Jade.

"And Skywalker thinks _I'm_ jumpy," she said, smiling at him.

"What do you want?" he asked. Despite trusting that Mara wasn't working for either Palpatine or Voldemort, he didn't know what her intentions were.

"You're going to fight this dark wizard, aren't you?"

"Did you listen in—"

"It's not hard to figure out," she said. "How are you getting there?"

"Where?"

"The Death Star."

"That's where he is? How do you know."

"A guess. The _Executor_ is Vader's domain, and if he's like what you described, he wouldn't make an ordinary Star Destroyer his base."

Harry had to agree. Voldemort _was_ vain. "They have an outpost near the shield generator, probably with a few ships. I planned to steal one."

"I have a better idea. I'm going up there as well, and you're welcome to join me aboard my ship."

"You have a ship?"

"How do you think I got here from Coruscant?"

_Of course. What a stupid question. _"Where is it?"

"Follow me, Potter."

They walked silently for a while. "Why are you going there?" he asked. "You don't—"

"Palpatine," she said. "Do you know what's it's like to be used without your knowledge?"

"Yes," he said. "Yes, I do." Despite wanting to know more, he knew, from his own experience, that pressing her for information was not an option. "I still have trouble taking in this cloning business," he said.

"So do I. Do you have any idea _why_ someone would want to clone your mother?"

"No. But she must have had some contacts with this world..."

"Well, I know only what I've read in those files—I'm a biological experiment. If there's more, it wasn't recorded."

He nodded. "There was no hints of any of this back home. I wonder if she even knew..."

"I doubt we'll ever find that out, Potter."

"Why?"

"Well, Palpatine probably knows, but it's not like we can ask." Harry had to laugh at that. "Knowing him, everyone involved is dead by now."

"Well..." Harry looked at her. "Not _everyone_."

"True, but I hardly count in this case."

"It's just that I have a feeling that something more is going on than is apparent."

"Is there any point in wrecking your mind over it if you have no clues to examine?"

"No. But surprises like that usually jump at you at the most inappropriate time."

"Don't I know it. Learning I wasn't the only Hand was quite a shock. Not unexpected though, now that I think about it."

Harry muttered to himself. "What?" Mara asked.

He pondered, then decided to tell her. "Voldemort isn't someone you can just kill, you know."

"He is... human? Isn't he?"

"He used to be. Now... his original body is gone, his new body has been restored by dark magic, his soul has been split into seven pieces..."

"What?" Mara looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"He wants immortality," Harry explained. "As long as part of his soul survives, he can't be killed. So he found a way to split his soul into seven pieces, and encase them in items called Horcruxes. As long any of the six Horcruxes, outside his body, exist, he can't be killed."

Mara shook his head. "This is over my head, Potter, but I believe you. What are these Horcruxes?"

"That's the problem. Five of them are gone, and I have no idea what the sixth one might be." He thought for a moment. "If we're lucky, he keeps it close to him."

"And if not?"

"I'll kill his body, but if the final Horcrux isn't found, he'll be back eventually. Still, a delay is something."

Mara nodded. "How did you get away from him, anyway. Back on Coruscant—"

Harry frowned. "That's something I'd rather not say. Not because I don't trust you, but because I don't want there to be any chance of him getting it from your mind. Mind blocks are difficult, especially in combat."

"I'm blocking Palpatine right now," she said. "I think—"

"Can you block _both_ of them?" he asked.

Mara reeled back. She didn't reply, but she didn't demand more information from Harry, either. Letting the matter drop, he looked around. The first signs of dawn were already visible.

"Potter, stop," Mara said. They were in a rather large clearing. "I need you to be ready to move as fast as you can."

Harry, not understanding, nodded and prepared to move. Mara took something off her belt, pushed a button...

A starship appeared in the middle of the clearing. "Get in!" she shouted and rushed towards it.

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He got up on the ramp right after Mara, looked behind at the forest...

And saw nothing but pitch blackness as the ramp closed.

"What was that?"

"Cloaking device. Very expensive, very rare... they changed the codes to the storage hangar when they learned of my treason, of course. I had to cut my way in with a lightsaber."

Harry laughed. "So this is how you got in without being spotted."

"Right. And now, we can get aboard the station without anyone knowing."

Harry smiled. _There are good surprises, too..._


	55. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51.**

The small party approached the Imperial base. _It looks quiet,_ Ron thought. _Too quiet._ Harry, Luke and Mara disappeared somewhere during the night. In some ways, Ron felt relieved. For one thing, he wouldn't have to watch his back. For another, the whole 'Force' thing and lightsabers made him a bit uncomfortable. He looked around. Everyone appeared worried, especially Ginny.

"The main entrance to the control bunker's on the far side of that landing platform," Leia pointed across a small valley. "This isn't gonna be easy."

"Easier than escaping from the Lestranges," Ron whispered to Ginny. "Or from Coruscant, for that matter," he told Jan.

"Hey, don't worry. Chewie and me got into a lot of places more heavily guarded than this," Han assured them.

Two of their Ewok guides began chattering excitedly among themselves for a few seconds, then said something to the protocol droid.

Threepio translated. "He says there is a secret entrance on the other side of the ridge."

"Right," Han said. "Let's split up. Leia, Chewie, and myself will take the north route. Ron, Jan, and Ginny head south. Each of you'll have one guide. We've got to meet up in an hour, so make haste."

The small group headed off in different directions. The droids joined Han's group, and soon, they were out of each other's sight.

"Ginny, do you really think You-Know-Who's around?"

"Ron! Are you implying Harry _ran away_ from the battle?"

"Of course not!" To call Harry a coward, you had to be really stupid.

"I'm sure he was right."

Ron nodded. "So what's going on back home?"

Ginny laughed for a moment. "Well, I was Head Girl in my last year. I was studying to become a Healer."

"Don't want to be an Auror? Or a Quidditch player?"

"No to the first, and I'm not good enough to play pro," she replied.

"You're a lot better than I am," he said.

Ginny smiled. "Harry's the only one of us who would have stood a chance. By the way, Ron, you're an uncle."

"What?"

"Bill and Fleur had a baby last year. They named her Clarissa, for some reason. Cutest—"

"Ugh!"

"Boys," Ginny shook her head. "Neville finally proposed to Luna two months ago," she said. _Everyone expected that, _Ron thought. "And you don't want to know what your ex-girlfriend did." _What could Lavender do that was so strange?_

"Oh?" Jan was suddenly curious. "Do tell."

"Jan," Ron pleaded. He really didn't want to remember that... he was really stupid to start that relationship in the first place, and for half of his seventh year, before he, Harry, and Hermione got here, he had to endure constant sniping and nasty pranks from her.

"She married," Ginny said, obviously enjoying herself.

"Who's the poor bloke? Seamus?"

"Seamus married Parvati," Ginny replied. "I honestly don't know what she was thinking..."

"Who? Parvati, or Lavender?"

"Both, actually, but Lavender—"

"Ginny, cut to the chase. Who?"

"Okay, okay. Malfoy."

"Ha, ha," Ron said. "Not funny."

"I'm serious."

"Ron, who is this Malfoy, and why do you both find it strange that your ex-girlfriend married him? Say," she nudged him, "you don't still—"

"Jan, that relationship was doomed the moment it started. Lavender... I honestly don't think she ever thought about anything but snogging. Not exactly what you need in the middle of a war. And Malfoy is a Death Eater in training. Well, his father is a big supporter of You-Know-Who," he said.

"Voldemort," Ginny translated for Jan. "Ron, when are you—"

"Don't bug me about that... I've said it, I _can_ say it... I just don't like to."

"He's also a bigot." Ron continued. "He thinks pure-blooded wizards—those born into wizarding families—are superior to Muggles, Muggle-born wizards, and half-bloods. I suppose Lavender's a pure-blood, so he has no complaints against her on that front."

"She is, at least for three generations," Ginny said. "Beyond that, things can get dicey."

"Your friend Hermione, she's—"

"She's Muggle-born. He hates her for that... and for being better than him in all the classes. We never got along, and I don't intend to start."

"Well, Lucius Malfoy was apparently killed—we have Lupin and Tonks to thank for that," Ginny filled him in. "So Draco inherited the whole estate, claimed to renounce serving Voldemort, married Lavender, and has announced that he intends to run for Minister of Magic as soon as he is old enough." Ginny spat on the ground. "Well, at least you found a way for us to get away if he wins," she finished.

"Okay, everyone, quiet down," Jan said. "We're nearing the entrance."

A short distance away, a small bunker was seen, patrolled by a couple of stormtroopers.

Ron, who was walking point, drew his wand, and crouched down, walking carefully. The path ahead made a turn around a large tree...

Ron found himself staring into the barrel of Han's blaster. "You're here," the Corellian said. "Everything all right?"

Ron nodded.

"Didn't meet anyone. No patrols. I don't like it," Jan said.

"I've got a bad feeling about this myself," Han grunted. He pointed towards the bunker. "We can blow the shield from there... we just need to get in for a few minutes."

"I have an idea," Ginny whispered.

XXXXXX

"Well, I guess it's time," Hermione said. She was standing next to Wedge's X-wing, while the rest of Blade Squadron was doing the last preflight checks. She already made sure her own fighter and CueSeven were ready. But like she said, it was time.

Wedge pulled her towards him, and kissed her. This surprised Hermione, since neither she nor Wedge liked public displays of affection.

When Hermione's face registered the surprise, Wedge chuckled. "Look around you," he said.

"What?" she asked, and then realized what he meant. Kissing couples were a rather common sight in the large hangar. Not that it didn't make sense... for some of these people, this was the last time they would see each other. _For all I know, it might be the last time _we _see each other._ She pushed the thought down, and returned Wedge's kiss.

"See you at the victory party, Wedge," she said. "May the Force be with you."

"Good luck. I love you."

She smiled and headed towards the area of the hangar where Blade Squadron was readying. "CueSeven, you ready?" she asked the astromech droid as she climbed into the fighter.

The droid gave a happy-sounding beep. "That's good. Thanks," she told the service crew member who handed her the helmet before activating the disengaging the ladder and preparing to leave the hangar. She activated the comm system.

"Captain Hermione Granger, Blade Squadron executive officer, reporting in."

"Acknowledged, Captain Granger," the voice of Pash Cracken, Blade Leader said.

Blade Squadron was a new unit, half X-wings, half newer, faster A-wings. Hermione had flown an A-wing on one Rogue Squadron mission. Their speed was certainly impressive, but Hermione didn't envy their pilots. If she was in an A-wing rather than the sturdier fighter at either Yavin or Suran Minor, she would have died. That Pash was flying an A-wing surprised her. _To each his own, I guess..._ At least in this battle, she would stick to the more familiar craft.

CueSeven interrupted her thoughts with a chirp. The fighters in the squadron had reported ready status. She looked out the cockpit, saw fighters leaving the hangar, nodded. Lifting her ship, she gracefully pulled it through the hangar door, and, maneuvering away from the capital ships, formed up with the rest.

Pilots began reporting in. "Blade Two, standing by."

"Blade Ten, standing by."

"Blade Three, standing by."

"Blade Twelve, standing by."

"Blade Eight, standing by."

"Blade Eleven, standing by."

"Blade Nine, standing by," she said. "Third flight ready."

"Acknowledged, Blade Nine," Pash replied.

There were three flights of four fighters each in the squadron. The squadron commander typically lead one flight, the executive officer another. Her flight, with numbers nine through twelve, consisted of two X-wings and two A-wings. The A-wings, Blade Ten and Eleven, were both flown by men a few years older than her. The other X-wing pilot was a Twi'lek female from whom this would be the first combat mission.

"Proceed with the countdown," the voice of Admiral Ackbar ordered. "All groups assume attack coordinates."

"You heard the admiral, CueSeven." She switched to another channel. "Nervous, Lin?"

Linra'sin was the Twi'lek pilot. "Yes, ma'am." she answered.

Hermione remembered that how Wedge's words of encouragement before every mission gave heart even to experienced pilots like the Rogues. Pash probably did something similar, but she went to bit farewell to Wedge, and so missed it. But it couldn't hurt for her pilots to hear something from her. She opened the communication to the other pilots in her flight.

"You'll be fine. Stay with the me, and with the rest of the squadron. Keep an eye on each other. Remember to keep maneuvering—don't think, just fly. The Death Star is not the kind of target you can miss. And don't let yourself get scared. You have shields, they don't." _Damn it, _she thought. _Wedge probably said something much better, but it's the best I can do right now._

"All craft, prepare to jump into hyperspace on my mark," Ackbar said.

"All right," Lando's voice echoed. "Stand by."

The _Millennium Falcon _launched first, followed by Rogue Squadron. Other squadrons began entering hyperspace in a predetermined order.

"Blade Squadron, launch!" Pash ordered.

"Roger, Blade Leader," Hermione said. She saw her three flightmates' fighters vanish, and then pulled her own hyperdrive lever.

The starfield vanished, replaced by a familiar blue swirl. Hermione closed her eyes and relaxed. She wasn't afraid of falling asleep, but her eyes would be under major strain soon.

The words formed in her head. _May the Force be with us all._


	56. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52.**

Mara finished the preflight check. She was about to launch when she fell back into her seat, eyes closed.

"Mara? Are you all right?"

"Palpatine," she said. "He's trying to get into my mind again."

"Can you—"

"I _am_ blocking. But I need to concentrate. You'll have to fly."

"Sure," Harry said, taking the controls. He was nervous, having never flown anything bigger than an X-wing. He remembered how Ron told him about flying the _Falcon_ through the asteroid field and escaping Coruscant in a wreck he and Jan named the _Padfoot_. _This is probably better-made than either of those,_ he thought.

There was a problem, however. Nothing could be seen through the viewports, both of which were completely black.

"Why can't we see anything?" he asked.

"The cloak works both ways, Potter."

"So how am I supposed to fly?"

Mara looked at him. "And you call yourself a Jedi," she said.

Realizing what she meant Harry frowned. The Force was useful, but it was still unusual to fly without eyesight.

"Here goes nothing," he said. He closed his eyes (they were useless anyway, and closing the eyes helped him relax), stretched out with the Force, and lifted the ship off the planet.

Turning the craft around, he aimed it up, and increased thrust. "Let's just hope that I can detect anything coming our way," he said. There were _a lot_ of Imperial craft up there, and if he didn't hurry, the Rebellion's fleet would soon be added into the mix.

Something hit him. "Mara? How are we going to get through the shield?"

"The—oh."

"Yes. The shield that's protecting the Death Star."

Mara thought for a moment. "We'll have to wait till some other ship needs to go in or out," she said.

"What if there isn't one? Flying blind now is hard enough. When the battle starts—"

"There'll be at least one." Harry lifted his eyebrows. "Vader," she explained.

"You want me to follow _Darth Vader_?"

"We don't have much of a choice, do we?"

"I guess not. But he'll probably sense—"

"We only need to follow him through the shield. Vader's obsessed with Skywalker, though I have no clue why. He won't be concentrating. And even if he calls in fighters, how are they going to get us? You think about the _maybe_s too much, Potter."

"Right." Harry concentrated further. He found a dark presence in the Force... _Probably Vader_, he thought, and almost at the same location, another, light, familiar. _Luke!_ He didn't seem to be in danger at the moment, though. He turned and followed.

Although they knew it was stupid to pretend that talking increased their chances of detection, they were silent for a while. Harry concentrated on getting closer to the Death Star and being in position to follow Luke and Vader when they cleared the shield.

He jerked the craft. Mara fell to the right. "What was that for?"

"TIE fighter. Almost didn't see him coming. Well, I didn't _see_ him," he corrected himself.

"Yeah, sure. Just be careful next time."

"There won't be a next time," he said. "We're past the shield."

"Are we? Good. Now land in one of the bays. We'll make our own way up."

"Up where?"

"Wherever Palpatine, Vader, and Voldemort are."

"You think they'll be together?"

"And if they're not?"

"Who do we go after first? And what about Luke? He's with Vader."

"He thinks he can turn him," Mara said.

"Turn him?"

"From the dark side."

Harry sat, stunned. _What was he thinking?_

"Well, Vader didn't kill him yet."

"I know." Harry didn't ask how.

"So, who do we go after first?"

"The more vulnerable target, the one that doesn't command all the forces there," Mara said.

"Voldemort."

"Right."

"I'm going to land," he said.

Harry maneuvered the cloaked vessel into the battle station. "Let's hope we don't have to get out of here in a hurry. The ship barely fit through," he said as he landed on the hangar floor.

He felt a warning through the Force, and saw that Mara was moving as well. He whipped out his wand. "_Reducto!_" he shouted, putting so much force into the spell that the entire front panel, with both viewports, flew off. "Get out, now!" he yelled, before executing a Force jump. Landing on the floor, he ran.

Four ceiling turrets focused on the ship, that now was partially visible, and fired. The explosion caused Harry to fall down on the floor, head ringing. He struggled to get up.

"Damn it, I rather liked that ship," Mara said.

A door opened, letting in a squad of stormtroopers. The ceiling turrets, having finished off the ship, turned on them.

Lightsabers flared up, and made the turrets worse than useless, as their bolts were sent at the the stormtroopers. Their rifles didn't do them any good either.

Once the hangar was cleared, Harry shut down his lightsaber. Mara followed suit. "Let's get this over with," she said.

They went the same way the stormtroopers came through. But as soon as they did so, the double door behind them slammed shut. _Uh-oh, _Harry thought.

He heard a loud pop, and felt pain in his scar. Lord Voldemort Apparated into the room.

XXXXXX

"We're going to sneak inside under the Invisibility Cloak," Ginny said.

"We?" Ron asked.

"You, me and Jan. That'll be the most the cloak can cover."

"They can't have that many people inside," Ron said. "We can handle it."

"There's just one problem with that," Han said. "The door. It's closed and probably locked, and if you try to force it, they'll hear you outside and notice inside, cloak or not."

Jan smiled. "We won't be going through the door."

"What?" Leia asked.

"Artoo, show them."

The droid showed a detailed plan of the bunker. Han shrugged. They knew most of this already.

"Right there," Jan pointed. "A top hatch for emergency evacuation."

"Evacuation? Through the roof?"

"Why not? If there's fire, or enemy troops all around, you can go on the roof, and have a shuttle pick you up."

"Our intelligence reports didn't mention this," Leia said. "Artoo, where did you get this from?"

The droid chirped. "He says," Threepio translated, "that this was on the data chip brought by Miss Jade."

Ron nodded. "Strange we missed it in yesterday's session."

"I didn't," Jan said. "I just didn't really think about its usefulness."

"Guys, need I remind you of another problem here?" Han chided them. "This would be a great plan—_if you could get to the roof_."

"Ginny," Jan prompted.

"Fine, fine. _THE PLAN_," she announced, "in all its glorious detail." She pulled something out of her pocket. _Engorgio!_" A broomstick lay on the ground before them.

"Now, since Ron destroyed the Firebolt, this is the best we have," she said. Ron grunted. Ginny then took out a long coil of rope.

"This is Self-Pulling Rope," she announced. "We tie it on the roof, and then, it will pull us all up—while covered in the cloak."

"Yeah, except the rope itself will be visible."

"Wrong." Ginny took out her wand, and performed an Invisibility Charm. "This will wear off in about an hour, but we don't need that much. "Now, I'm going to tie this on the roof of that bunker. Before Ron could protest, she wrapped herself in the cloak. The broomstick vanished seconds later, and they felt a light swoosh of air.

"Kid, your sister's crazy," Han commented.

Ron groaned. "Tell me something I don't know."

"This coming from someone who jumped off a Coruscant skyscraper, and took on an Imperial Star Destroyer in a ship that was ready to fall apart," Jan mused.

"Oh, I've got to hear that story," Han said.

Ron blushed. "I had no choice."

"No one does crazy things by choice," Jan said.

"Sometimes I think Han does," Leia said. Chewbacca voiced his agreement.

"Really, Princess? You're not exactly the cautious type yourself."

Leia was about to retort, when Ginny appeared next to them. "It's there," she said simply.

Jan glanced at her chrono. "Ten minutes from now, you take out the guards on the outside. We'll prevent them from sounding the alarm, so we'll have sufficient time to set the charges."

"Good luck," Leia said, shaking each of their hands.

Ginny covered them with the cloak, and they slowly moved towards the bunker, careful not to reveal an ankle or a hand by accident.

"We're lucky you're here," Jan said. "The Imps probably didn't count on magic."

"Probably not," Ron agreed.

"Guys, be quiet," Ginny whispered. This would be the most dangerous part... sneaking by towards their goal within a few feet of the stormtroopers.

But the Imperials were watching the forest, expecting an attack from them. They got behind them, and, crouching, made it to the other side of the bunker, where the rope waited for them.

"Grab on," Ginny said. She then pulled out her wand and tapped the rope. They were pulled up.

It was very uncomfortable, and they nearly dropped the cloak twice, but they had made it to the roof. Jan quickly found the hatch.

"It's manual," she said. "Of course, it would be, for emergencies."

"Look!" Ron said, alarmed.

One of their Ewok guides climbed onto a speeder bike hovering near the entrance, and sped off. Shouting, three of the four stormtroopers on guard jumped on their bikes and headed after him.

"No more surprise," Ginny said. "But we still should get inside. They won't expect that. _Alohomora!_"

They opened the hatch. Ron jumped in first, and, seeing an Imperial officer turn around, stunned him. Jan followed, recovering from the fall and firing her blaster. Ginny landed next to them, sending the last standing soldier down with her Bat-Boogey Hex.

"There's got to be more of them," she said.

"I know. Let's get to the entrance and link up with the rest," Jan replied.

Ron opened a door into a corridor. Weapons ready, they headed down it. Like in the forest, everything was quiet.

"I think it's a trap," he said.

"Maybe," Ginny said. "But did they prepare their trap for magic?"

"I don't know how, but for some reason, I am afraid they might have."

"That's—"

"Be quiet!" Jan insisted.

"Sorry."

The room at the end of the corridor was dark. As soon as they were in, the door they just went through slammed behind them. They raised their weapons.

A spotlight turned on, lighting up a person in the middle of the room, bound and gagged. To their surprise, both Ron and Jan recognized him.

"Kyle?" Jan whispered.

But before the man could make so much as a gesture, the room was filled with the sound of another voice.

"_Expelliarmus!_"


	57. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53.**

"Voldemort," Harry said aside to Mara.

"I sort of figured that," she said.

Voldemort lifted his wand. "_Imperio!_" he said. "Jade, kill Potter." Then he Disapparated.

"Mara, fight it!" he yelled. But Mara ignited her lightsaber and attacked him.

Harry drew his own weapon, and blocked.

Mara lashed out with a kick, but Harry stepped back in time. Raising his weapon again, he stopped another attack, then stopped himself from striking back. He flipped a switch with the Force and stepped back into a long corridor. Mara followed.

"Not going to attack me, Potter?"

"Mara, it's the Imperius curse! He's controlling your mind. Fight it!"

Under a flurry of lightsaber strikes, Harry retreated again. He thought about counterattacking, but decided against it.

"Mara," he said. A slash at his legs. "You." A thrust at his gut. "Are." A Force-push that he had to resist, summoning the Force himself. "Not." A Force leap over him, forcing him to turn and block. "Being." A crate hurling towards him at high speed, making him duck. "Yourself." Harry stepped back at every attack.

"Oh, I am myself, Potter," she replied. "This feels good."

"The Imperius curse makes you feel happy when you do what the caster tells you to do. That's not real happiness, and you know it. Of all people—" Harry missed a kick and fell onto the floor. Shaking, he got up.

Mara attacked again. "Damn you!" she screamed. "I should have let you rot in that prison!"

"Pull yourself together!" he shouted. He dodged another kick, then blocked Mara's blade. "Kick him out!"

Mara ignored him, and kept attacking. Harry switched to a one-handed grip on his lightsaber and drew his wand. "_Finite Incantatem!_" he shouted.

Mara didn't stop the attack. Harry flinched. He the charm wasn't the end-all, but as far he knew, the Imperius curse was not one of the spells immune to it. Of course, who knew what sort of "improvements" Voldemort might have made to it.

Mara's next strike attempted to either knock the wand out or cut off his hand. The lightsaber slid off a hastily conjured shield, but Harry did drop the wand, although he summoned it back even before it hit the ground.

"Mara, I don't want to fight you. _Stupefy!_"

Mara dodged the spell. "Too bad, Potter."

_How do you fight someone you don't want to kill or even hurt, but who's trying her utmost to kill you?_ Harry wondered. He'd never had that situation before.

A door opened behind them. Harry stepped in. Mara jumped after him. "_Stupefy!_" Harry tried again. Mara managed to catch the spell on her blade, where it dissipated.

The door closed, and Harry realized he and Mara were confined in an elevator cabin. They locked blades again. Harry had to go back to the two-handed grip to avoid being forced onto his own weapon. The elevator began moving up.

"Mara, you know this is wrong. He's using you! They're both using you! Fight them!"

"I'm going to kill you, Potter." There was no room to swing lightsabers, but it didn't stop her from trying.

Harry didn't think he could resist much longer. Suddenly, the door behind them opened.

"Your faith in your friends," he heard Palpatine's voice, "is yours."

Then, just as he stepped out of the elevator, he felt Voldemort very close. In fact, he was right behind him.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" the Dark Lord shouted.

XXXXXX

Ron's wand flew out of his hand. Jan and Ginny were also immediately disarmed.

Two figures, a man and a woman, stepped out. Ron gasped. While he had no idea who the woman was, he knew the man very well. Former Death Eater, former Potions Master, Professor Snape was standing in front of them, dressed in black, as always, aiming his wand at them.

"I can see that whatever galaxy you end up in, you will always find a way to associate with its dregs," Snape said. He cast a spell, removing Kyle's binds. "Get up," he ordered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked.

"I will have your respect, Weasley," Snape replied.

"No," Ron said. "You won't." Ron thought Snape wanted something from them... if he wanted them dead, he would have killed them already.

The woman looked like a female version of Snape—pale, black-haired, black-eyed, with a hooked nose. She was dressed in a gray jumpsuit and carried a lightsaber on her belt.

"Kyle," Jan spoke up. "How did—"

"Silence!" Snape said.

"He was foolish enough to free me," the woman answered.

They stared, not understanding.

The woman laughed. "I told him I was condemned to starve to death in prison by Jabba the Hutt. He," she pointed at Kyle, "believed me. So I overpowered him—"

"Jabba the Hutt?" Ron asked. He looked at Kyle, realizing something horrible. "On Tatooine?"

Kyle nodded, and Ron exhaled sharply. "You're Roganda Ismaren," he said.

"Who?" Ginny asked.

"I'll tell you later," he said.

The woman looked at them. "Close, but not quite. It's Roganda Ismaren _Snape_," she said.

Whatever Ron was expecting, it wasn't that. "You're married?" he asked.

"Move!" Snape said.

They were marched through the bunker. Ron struggled to think of something, anything, he could do. But, although he had learned some hand-to-hand combat in Intelligence, he knew he couldn't take on

Snape with a wand—or the woman with the lightsaber, if she was half as skillful as Luke or Harry.

"I'll take that," Snape stepped up to Ginny and took away the Invisibility Cloak. Ginny cursed.

They heard shouts up ahead. "Han!" Leia's voice yelled. "Hurry! The fleet will be here any moment!"

_And we haven't brought the shield down. They'll be sitting ducks_.

"Charges! Come on, come on!" Han replied.

They stepped into the space, just as Imperial troops ran in from the open outside door, aiming their blasters at Han and Leia. "You Rebel scum," the officer said.

They were quickly disarmed. "Good job," Roganda told the officer.

"I guess my plan wasn't so good after all," Ginny remarked.

"It's not your fault," Leia said.

"Silence!" Snape demanded.

Under the point of dozens of blasters, they were marched back outside. The entire rebel infiltration team was herded there. In addition to the stormtroopers, several walkers were pointing their laser cannons at them. _They'll probably execute us, _Ron thought. He glanced behind him. Snape looked pleased. _That can never be good..._

This was a thousand times worse then when he was facing arrest on Coruscant. This was an enemy who knew about magic and what it was capable of. He had a momentary idea to tackle Snape, and hope that the time it took Snape to kill him would allow Ginny to grab her wand. One glance at Roganda was enough to strike that idea. The two could easily cover each other, and any such attempt would end up with both of them dead.

There was nothing he could do now. He even lost the opportunity to attack Snape, and maybe bring him down, at the cost of his own life. The Imperials would simply massacre them now. The war was over. They lost.

"Harry," Ginny whispered nearby. Ron glanced at his sister... and knew that there was something he _had _to do. "Jan, I love you," the words came out of his mouth almost automatically.

Jan looked at him and smiled. "So you finally got around to it," she said.

He barely registered the bright flash of light and the loud bang that followed.


	58. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54.**

_Chirp._

Hermione instantly opened her eyes. "Shields up, CueSeven," she ordered. "Thanks for the warning." Some pilots didn't develop the habit of raising their shields _before_ coming out of hyperspace. That struck Hermione as an incredibly stupid thing to do. That habit, and the fifteen-second warning had served her well on numerous occasions. She gripped the control yoke.

Hyperspace vanished, replaced by a starfield, with a shining blue planet off to the side. The Death Star was straight ahead of them.

Hermione scanned her surroundings, verified that all three members of her flight made it, as did the rest of the squadron.

"All wings, report in," Lando's voice came through.

"Red Leader, standing by." Hermione stirred at the sound of Wedge's voice. It was hardly unexpected, but at least she knew he was still all right.

"Gray leader, standing by," another commander reported.

"Green Leader, standing by."

"Lock S-foils in attack position," Pash ordered. Hermione did so.

"May the Force be with us!" Admiral Ackbar's voice thundered.

The fighters formed up and flew towards the Imperial battle station. Even Hermione, who'd seen the first Death Star, got a shock from its size. She glanced at her readouts. _Nothing? What's going on..._

"Break off the attack!" Lando ordered from the _Falcon_. "The shield is still up!"

_Oh, no..._ Hermione thought.

"Pull up! All craft pull up!" Lando shouted frantically.

"Do it!" Hermione ordered, sensing her pilots' uncertainty. She broke off first.

As soon as they turned back towards the fleet, she scanned her surroundings. Blade Squadron remained intact... for now.

Hermione turned her fighter again. And nearly collided with Blade Ten. A fleet of at least forty Star Destroyers was coming out from behind the planet.

"Pash!" she yelled.

"I see them, Blade Nine."

"It's a trap!" Admiral Ackbar shouted.

"Power up your lasers," Hermione told her flight. "Fire on my command."

"Fighters, coming in," Lando announced.

Hermione realized that a good number of the Imperial craft were TIE Interceptors rather than standard TIE fighters. She remembered her unpleasant encounter with the fast craft at Suran Minor. _We've got A-wings now,_ she reminded herself. _They're faster._

"Fire!" she said. "Evade with S-split!"

The burst of laser fire from four fighters, in the same direction, took out the lead Interceptor of the closed formation, which was what Hermione was counting on. The flight then split, the two A-wings veering off to the right, the X-wings to the left.

"Accelerate to attack speed! Draw their fire away from the cruisers!"

Hermione already did so, but even the attack speed of the X-wing was no match for an Interceptor. "I've got one on my tail!" she yelled.

The interceptor was quickly eating up the distance between them. Hermione jinked, and most of the enemy's bolts flew wild. Nevertheless, her rear shields did drop a little.

Twisting around, Hermione found a TIE fighter ahead of her, and fired, knowing she had no time to lock on. She missed, but one of her A-wing pilots blasted the Imperial from the side.

"Good shot, Blade Ten," she congratulated the pilot.

Her fighter shook, and, glancing at her instruments, she saw her rear shields drop rapidly. There was _another_ Imperial behind her.

Then the trailing Interceptor exploded. Hermione gave only a cursory glance. "Olch!" she heard Linra'sin exclaim. Hermione supposed that was some Twi'lek interjection, but she had other things to worry about now. "Good job, Twelve," she said. "Break left!"

The other pilot did so, and the second TIE fighter made a tight turn, hoping to intercept her. He ended up in Hermione's sights, and was blasted apart.

"I'm surrounded!" Pash shouted.

"Coming around!" Hermione twisted her fighter. "Ten, Twelve, on me."

Hermione fired two proton torpedoes. As soon as she did, the Imperials began their standard countermeasures. With that distraction, they were unprepared for the assault Hermione and her two pilots launched. Five fighters were destroyed in a matter of seconds.

"Pash, you all right?"

"A few hits, nothing to worry. Thanks, Nine."

"No problem. Uh-oh."

She didn't need to explain. A fresh interceptor squadron was heading towards them. Hermione didn't know what the red makings painted on the sides of these fighters meant, but she immediately realized that these pilots were better than those they faced before.

"Six, no!" Pash yelled as one of the A-wings sped up and attempted to attack the leader. The Imperial veered off, and one of his wingmen fired a stream of green bolts, taking out the attacker. Then the enemy leader swooped in and, before Hermione could say anything, blasted Blade Ten apart. She herself barely managed to evade the next next assault.

"Regroup," Pash said grimly. Hermione instinctively fired her lasers, scoring a hit on one of the Interceptors, but didn't manage to finish him off. She glanced at the instruments. The shield was still up. The battle wasn't going well.

XXXXXX

Harry didn't know why he did what he did next. He grabbed Mara's wrists, and leaped up, making the highest Force-jump he had yet made. Mara looked at him in shock, as the green bolt of the killing curse avoided her by mere inches. Harry flipped over and landed on the floor. Mara, unfortunately, didn't fare so well. When she yanked her lightsaber hand free and attempted to strike him, he let go. Mara fell from fifteen feet, hitting her head. When Harry landed, she was unconscious.

"Mara!" Harry rushed over to her.

"Mara!" Luke, who was standing before the Emperor, rushed down.

"Ah," Palpatine said. "My wayward Hand. Thank you for bringing her back, young Potter."

Harry felt sickened. _Was this whole thing a plot?_

Luke touched Mara's head. "She's alive," he said.

Harry suddenly realized that his lightsaber was gone. He had dropped it and his wand when he grabbed Mara. He looked up. Voldemort had them now.

"You want this, Potter? Very curious thing, these brother-wands," he commented.

He and Luke headed up the stairs, towards Vader and the Emperor. Voldemort followed. He had no idea why Voldemort didn't attempt to kill him again. He scanned his other two enemies, and struggled to suppress a grin. _Ron's wand_. He saw it hanging on Vader's belt.

Looking out the large window behind Palpatine's throne, he saw flashes of light in the distance. _The battle must have begun_, he thought.

"Come," Palpatine said, drawing their attention to the window, "see for yourselves."

"From here," he continued, "you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance and the end of your insignificant Rebellion."

Harry watched Luke glare at the Emperor, who was holding his lightsaber.

"You want this, don't you?" Palpatine said to Luke. "The hate is  
swelling in you now. Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger. With each passing moment, you make yourself more my servant."

"And you young Potter. You want to join him. Anger burns strong in you. Only through the power of the dark side can you destroy your enemy."

"No!" Harry and Luke shouted at once.

"It is unavoidable. It is your destiny."


	59. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55.**

The flash was followed by some twenty large objects falling from the sky. It took only a few moments for them to get close enough to resolve into people on broomsticks. The only person more shocked than Ron was Snape.

Kyle Katarn wasted no time. As Snape lifted his wand to the sky, he knocked the Death Eater down with a well placed kick.

Ron dove in, grabbing his and Ginny's wands. "_Stupefy!_" he shouted, turning the wand on the Imperial officer who was about to shoot him. "Ginny, catch!" he tossed the wand to his sister.

A loud horn sounded in the distance, and Ewoks began pouring out of the forest. Despite being armed only with rocks, slings, and spears, they fearlessly tackled the Imperials.

"Move it!" A woman's voice shouted. Ron turned to the surprise reinforcements. The voice belonged to one of the Patil twins. She, like everyone else who'd just arrived, was wearing dark purple robes.

Ron had no time for a closer look. "_Expelliarmus!_" Ginny shouted next to him, ripping away Snape's wand. Ron turned to see this, but the wand, instead of flying to Ginny, landed into Roganda Ismaren's palm. She tossed it back to her husband, and ignited the lightsaber.

"_Incarcerous!_" Ron attempted to bind her. The woman's sword easily destroyed the ropes pouring out of his wand. Ron ended the useless charm and leaped backwards to avoid being sliced himself.

Han, Leia, and Jan were hunkered down, firing their blasters at the Imperials. Jan shook her head at Ron. He understood. Jan would be all right. _They aren't facing a Death Eater and a Dark Jedi._

Ginny and Snape dueled, constantly dodging each other's curses. Ron ran up to help, but had to drop as a stream of blaster bolts nearly brought him down. "Kriff!" he heard Kyle curse. He was the one who fired these bolts, but Roganda managed to deflect them. "Sorry there!" he called out.

"_Incendio!_" Ron threw a stream of fire at the lightsaber-wielding woman, igniting the underbrush next to her. She escaped the fire by a Force-assisted leap and landed less then ten feet away. She immediately turned to Ron, and he fell backwards as something powerful slammed into his chest.

The woman ran towards him. Ron reached for his wand, already knowing it would be too late. Then Roganda was thrown back herself, flying over fifteen feet.

"Ron, you all right?" Dean Thomas helped him up.

"_Protego!_" Susan Bones stopped a burst of blaster fire from a couple of Imperial soldiers.

"Sure. Ginny—"

Ginny was in trouble. She was still fighting Snape, but the Death Eater had clearly driven her to exhaustion. "_Expelliarmus!_" Snape yelled. Despite being prepared, Ginny didn't have enough power to hold on to her wand.

Ron, Dean, and Susan rushed at Snape. Keeping Ginny's wand pointed at her, Snape thrusted his own wand forward. "_Avada Kedavra!_" he said.

They all dropped instantly, but didn't escape unscathed. Ron was lying on the ground, looking into Dean's lifeless eyes.

"No!" Susan screamed, and enraged, attacked Snape. Ginny tackled him at the same time, and Ron leaped up moments later.

"_Crucio!_" Snape said, casting the spell out of both wands he held. Ginny and Susan fell back in anguish, and Ron was left facing Snape.

Ron pointed his wand at the Death Eater when Roganda Ismaren landed next to him and used the Force to take it away from him. Then she ignited her lightsaber.

XXXXX

Blade Squadron was down to nine pilots, all the casualties from their single engagement with the group of Interceptors with unusual red markings. She supposed they were some Imperial elite unit—the Rebels had Rogue Squadron, so it wasn't at unlikely. _Focus, Hermione. Focus._

Imperial fighters were attacking the Mon Calamari cruiser _Liberty, _trying to bring down her shields. A year ago, Hermione watched the great ship being built. She remembered meeting Nelir, the ship's Mon Calamari designer and Wedge's friend. Her flight was chasing a group of Imperials amidst turbolaser batteries, shield projectors, ion cannons, and other protrusions covering the surface of the warship. Hermione brought her fighter as close as she could... she could almost land.

Linra'sin was acquainting herself quite well. Blade Eleven, her other pilot... _what was his name? _Erad Loth, she remembered. She was more worried for him than for the Twi'lek. She heard that he recently lost a very close friend, and the result seemed to be that Loth now needed to _think_ through the maneuvers and attacks rather than performing them instinctively. That could be dangerous. Some pilots—Harry and Luke, of those she knew best—relied almost entirely on these instincts. She and Wedge preferred a middle path, but when her feelings told her to do something, she did it. Space battle was too fast for hesitations.

One of the disguised mines on the hull exploded, the shrapnel destroying a TIE. A second Imperial veered off to avoid it, and was blasted by Linra'sin's guns. The Twi'lek had dispatched more bolts than were needed, and one of them hit the _Liberty's _surface.

"Hey, what side are you on?" Hermione asked her.

"Sorry, ma'am."

CueSeven beeped, prompting Hermione to look at the instruments. Three Interceptors were behind them.

"I've got them, Nine," Loth said, pulling his A-wing away from the _Liberty. _Accelerating, he flew his fighter towards the enemy flight, and fired torpedoes. They locked on two fighters, and destroyed them. Loth gunned down the third one with his lasers.

_I've got a crazy wingmate with a death wish_,Hermione thought. "Good work, Erad," she said. "F—"

"Nine, get over here!" Pash demanded.

"You heard the boss," Hermione said. The rest of the squadron were near the _Liberty's _bridge, keeping the Imperials off. Hermione quickly counted them. _Damn_, she thought. They lost another pilot.

"No torpedoes, Erad," she said. "Too dangerous."

"Acknowledged," the other pilot replied.

Two enemy fighters broke off and rushed towards them. Both zeroed in on Linra'sin.

Hermione was chasing another Imperial. "I'm hit!" she heard the Twi'lek's panicked cry.

She dropped pursuit, turning towards the other X-wing. With precise, well-timed shots, she destroyed one of the TIE fighters in pursuit. The others broke.

"Lin, status?"

"Lost one engine, and rear shields. I can still maneuver."

"Nine, behind you!" Loth shouted.


	60. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56.**

"As you can see," Palpatine said, "your friends have failed, even with the warning from my traitorous Hand. Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station."

He pressed a button on the armrest. "Fire at will, commander."

_Maybe we should have recalled the fleet_, Harry thought. But that wouldn't do any good, either. They eventually would be hunted down if they continued fighting.

A large explosion flashed outside. Luke stared at it.

"Your little friends have no hope, Potter," Voldemort said. "In addition to the stormtrooper legion, my loyal servant is there to stop him."

"Your loyal servant? Who?" Harry demanded. His mind was spinning. _Voldemort sent a Death Eater down to Endor_. There were only a few possibilities as to whom he might choose for something like this.

"Oh, you know him, Potter. I have to admit, I _enjoyed_ his description of his probes of your undisciplined mind. And how the old fool trusted him until the end."

"Snape," Harry said. _So he is a traitor after all_.

"Your fleet has lost. And your friends on the Endor moon will not survive. There is no escape for either of you. The Alliance will die... as will your friends." Palpatine announced.

Luke glared at the Emperor. So did Harry. He then turned, gave one look at Vader, and focused on Voldemort. He then heard something stirring at the bottom of the stairs. He didn't dare turn.

Harry couldn't tell who reached out first. Luke summoned his lightsaber at the same time as he yanked his sword and wand from Voldemort's belt. They flew into his outstretched hands.

Harry expected four lightsaber blades to ignite in the dark throne room. But there were five. Vader's red, Luke's green, Voldemort's white, and his purple. But at this moment, Mara Jade leaped up the stairs and activated her blue lightsaber. She swung.

XXXXXX

Hermione pulled away immediately. The A-wing blasted her pursuer and sped on.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Hermione turned back towards the cruiser's bridge, only to see Pash destroy another enemy fighter. The area of space around them was, at least for the moment, relatively calm.

Considering what happened next, this was ironic.

Prompted for no apparent reason, Hermione turned her fighter up, and accelerated. "We have to get out of here!" she yelled, although Linra'sin and Loth already followed so they could maintain the formation.

"Nine, what're you doing?" Pash demanded.

Before Hermione could answer, a massive explosion flashed behind them. One glance was enough for Hermione to see that hot debris was all that was left of the _Liberty_.

"That blast came from the Death Star! That thing's operational!" Lando exclaimed.

_Oh, no..._ Hermione couldn't find anything to say.

"We saw," Admiral Ackbar said. "All craft prepare to retreat."

It seemed like the only thing they could do. _And abandon Ron, and Harry, and..._

Hermione twisted out of the way of a stream of green bolts. She cursed herself for abandoning concentration, despite what happened.

Six fighters from Blade Squadron registered on the instruments. Two must have perished in the blast. "Pash," she called out.

No response.

"He was furthest behind," the voice of Blade Four, a human woman whose name Hermione forgot came through.

_Pash is dead. I guess that puts me in command._

"Blade squadron, form up on me," she said. "They'll pay for this."

XXXXXX

Ron dodged one lightsaber strike, but had to leap back to avoid the next. He stumbled over Dean's body, and, without thinking, grabbed his wand. "_Stupefy!_" he roared. Roganda, however, managed to catch the spell on her lightsaber, and dissipate it.

"_Protego!_" he cast up a shield to deflect further lightsaber strikes. Roganda summoned an automatic blaster and began sending bolts at him, hoping to wear the shield down. And it felt like she was going to succeed.

Then Kyle Katarn knocked her down with the butt of a blaster rifle. She wasn't knocked out, however, and immediately turned towards the other man. But this gave Ron the opening he needed.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" he yelled, hitting Roganda in the shoulder. The woman fell to the ground, motionless.

"Thanks," Kyle said, taking her lightsaber.

Ron said nothing, running to confront Snape instead. Ginny and Susan were lying on the ground next to him.

"_Stupefy!_" Ron shouted, but Snape easily blocked the attack. Ron got his own shield up again, although it flickered when Snape's spell hit. He was getting tired.

Kyle tried to attack Snape with the lightsaber, but the Death Eater avoided the strikes.

"_Accio!_" he cried, summoning his—well, really Hermione's—wand back from Roganda Ismaren. Having two wands helped somewhat—casting attacks with one and holding the shield with the other. Of course, Snape was doing the same thing.

Kyle attempted to get close enough to tackle Snape, but one brush against the magical shield made him wince in pain. Despite the futility, he resumed lightsaber attacks.

"_Calorio!_" Snape called, and Kyle dropped the lightsaber, flinching at his hands.

Snape's next spell exploded on Ron's shield like a grenade. The power was enough to break the shield, send Ron stumbling on his back, and send one of the wands he held flying in the air. "_Stupefy!_" Snape snarled, knocking out Kyle before the man could fire a blaster at him. "Potter is already dead at the hands of the Dark Lord, Weasley. And now—"

"_Expelliarmus!_" Ginny's voice shouted. Both of Snape's wands were ripped from him. "Susan, what're—"

Susan picked a blaster from the ground and fired. Snape turned, opening his mouth in shock. Susan fired again. The Death Eater stumbled, tried to say something, and fell dead. Ron gathered himself and approached the body.

"Did it work?" Susan asked. "Is he—"

"He's dead," Ron confirmed."I can't believe—"

"He killed my boyfriend," she said.

"I'm sorry. If it wasn't—"

"Ron, it wasn't your fault," Ginny stepped in. "We still haven't blown the shield. Get back to the bunker. I'll help Susan here."

Ron nodded. "_Enervate!_" he said, pointing at Kyle. He helped the man up. "Let's go."


	61. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57.**

"Yes, I said closer!" Lando yelled. "Move as close as you can and engage those Star Destroyers at point-blank range!"

_Good idea,_ Hermione thought. "Get as close as you can. They'll be afraid to hit their own fighters."

"Yes, ma'am," Linra'sin replied.

Hermione dropped towards the underside of the nearest Star Destroyer.

"Leader, what about—" Loth called out before Hermione fired a torpedo at her target.

"—tractor beams," Loth finished. "Sorry."

"Focus, Eleven. Come about... now!"

The six fighters behind her moved swiftly, getting back to the topside of the Imperial warship. They saw two Y-wings pursued by TIEs.

The three A-wing pilots in their group accelerated towards the enemy. One of the Y-wings went down. Hermione barely gave it a glance before joining the battle.

She abruptly pulled up, causing one enemy fighter behind her to crash into the Star Destroyer's surface. Lin was having trouble maneuvering with her damage, and she had to blast another off her tail.

"Thanks, ma'am," the Twi'lek said.

XXXXXX

Luke's strike at Palpatine was blocked by Vader. Harry looked towards Mara. _Is she still under—_

His unspoken question was answered when Mara's attacked Voldemort, getting him to block. Harry smiled and joined the fight.

An idea flashed in his mind. "_Reducto!_" he shouted, pointing his wand towards Palpatine while using his lightsaber to parry Voldemort's strikes.

He didn't expect it to harm the Emperor, which is why he didn't aim it at him. Instead, he hit the viewport behind the throne, which shattered, opening the room to the vacuum of space. Air began rushing out.

Voldemort was caught in the swirl. Harry grabbed on to one of the steps with one, holding with all his strength. He saw Mara doing the same. Maybe, if they were lucky, Palpatine would be sucked out. He was the closest to that viewport.

XXXXXX

Han, Leia, Jan, and one of the Patil twins were fighting Imperials with their backs to the bunker door. Jan wasn't moving very fast. _She must be wounded. Oh, no..._

"We've got to get to them!"

"Going to be difficult," Kyle said. "We'll be sitting ducks in that clearing."

"I have an idea. _Accio broomsticks!_" he raised his wand. There were plenty of broomsticks lying on the ground, left when their unexpected rescue squad disembarked.

"Just do what I do," he told Kyle. He got on the broomstick, leaned forward, and flew across the clearing. Stormtroopers tried to shoot him, but he was too fast. He landed at the door.

"Ron!" Jan cried. "What—"

Kyle managed to launch the broomstick, but couldn't stop. "_Immobulus!_" he cried, to prevent him from crashing into the bunker. He and Jan quickly got Kyle off the broomstick.

Ron shook his head. "Sorry. We'll make a Quidditch player out of you yet." Kyle grunted and fired his blaster into the forest.

Ron looked at Jan. "You're wounded. _Narcosio!_" he said, pointing at her arm. "Just something for the pain," he said.

Ron turned to the Patil twin. "Parvati?" he asked, making a guess.

"_I'm_ Padma," she replied. "You did take me to the Yule Ball, you know."

"Sorry." It was at this point that he realized that Padma, Dean, Susan... everyone who arrived at, he had to admit, the most opportune moment, was wearing the same style robes of dark purple, with a pair of half-moon glasses and stitched in gold thread on the left breast. Inside the glasses were two letters: D.A. _Dumbledore's Army_.

"_Protego!_" Ron threw up a shield for what must have been the hundredth time today. Padma nodded at him, as he helped strengthen her own block.

She tapped a silver bracelet on her right arm. "Greengrass, where the heck are you?"

"Well, we have one of their mechanical monsters—" a woman's voice came from the bracelet.

"Freeze their leg joints!" Ron shouted.

"Greengrass, do you—"

"Got it!"

"Greengrass?" Ron asked Padma. "_Daphne _Greengrass?"

"Best door breaker in the Army," Padma replied. "I told her to get over here and help us with this," she pointed at the bunker, where Han was struggling with the wires. "What?"

"She's a Slytherin! Who let her in—"

"I did, Weasley. And yes, I'm certain she doesn't work for You-Know-Who."

"How—"

"Which—" Padma was cut off. "Hey, careful!" she yelled as Jan fired a blaster bolt right between them.

"Sorry," Jan said. The stormtroopers' fire intensified. Ron really didn't know how much longer he could hold out.

Swoosh. Ron and Padma turned back and groaned. Instead of opening the bunker, Han triggered a second blast door.

Padma tapped the bracelet again. "Greengrass!"

"What?" a new voice called out. "I'm here."

Daphne Greengrass got off her broomstick. She was of medium height, and had soft features and short auburn hair.

"Aaaah!" Padma's distraction caused her shield to lapse and she was hit by a blaster bolt in the leg. She fell backwards, but Kyle Katarn caught her.

"Are you—"

"Dammit, I can't keep up the shield this size alone!" Ron shouted.

"Ow!" As if to prove what he just said, a shot got through and hit Leia.

"Oh," Threepio looked at them. "Princess Leia, are you all right?"

"Let's see," Han looked at her.

"Just a few seconds," Greengrass said. She threw several spells at the bunker door, aiming at key points. "This is rather unusual," she commented.

Several stormtroopers ran at them, blasters blazing. He couldn't take his attention off the shield to do anything else. Kyle was helping wounded Padma, Han was doing the same with Leia, Greengrass was trying to open the door...

_Jan!_ He completely forgot about her! She was now at his side, taking out stormtroopers charging them. And despite being wounded in one arm, she was a fantastic shot. The attacking team didn't get withing twenty feet.

When the last Imperial fell, she turned to him. "How are—"

"Watch out," he replied. An Imperial walker had come up, aiming its cannons at them.

"Got it," Greengrass said. "Ready?" she turned to them, and then also saw the walker. "Uh-oh."

The top hatch of the AT-ST opened, and Chewbacca popped out. Ron gasped.

"Chewie!" Han yelled. "Get down here, she's wounded!"


	62. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58.**

Emergency bulkheads slammed down at the viewport, and the wind stopped. Harry pulled himself up. Mara was gathering herself nearby. Luke was further up the stairs, looking a bit dazed.

"A foolish gesture, young Potter," Palpatine said. _Damn_.

Vader attacked Luke, who brought up his lightsaber to defend. Voldemort attempted to join him, but Harry and Mara rushed up. Harry struck with such force that Voldemort was thrown back.

Luke threw Vader off balance, tossing him down the stairs. Vader stood up, lightsaber still up. "Obi-wan has taught you well," he said.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Harry shouted, hoping to get the spell in while Voldemort was too busy fighting him and Mara. He had no such luck. The spell met something emerging out of Voldemort's wand, and a gold band connected them. Harry broke it off. _Priori Incantatem _would be useless now.

"I will not fight you, father."

The words barely registered in Harry's brain before the shock. _Vader was Luke's father?_ He turned to Luke. "Luke?" he asked. His friend nodded.

_Harder task, before young Skywalker lies_, Yoda had said. Harry had to agree.

Harry's lightsaber flew out of his hand—he was too distracted for a proper block. He rolled down the stairs to avoid Voldemort's lightsaber, and was nearly skewered by Vader.

He got up, summoned his lightsaber back, and engaged Vader. Luke, meanwhile, dueled with Voldemort. Slowly, they made their way towards each other.

Mara chose this moment to approach Palpatine. But she barely lifted her lightsaber before being pushed down on her knees.

"You are out of line, my wayward Hand," he said. "The dark side will defeat you."

"NO!" she shouted, before Palpatine forced her down again.

Harry remembered how he and Luke trained together on Dagobah, and tried to find Luke in the Force. As soon as he did, they joined minds.

Harry, retreating under Vader's relentless advance, moved up the stairs. Luke, constantly blocking Voldemort, took a few steps down. Suddenly, they were back to back.

"Mara!" Luke yelled, seeing her nearly crumpled form in front of the throne.

Suddenly, Mara sprang up, Luke's voice apparently getting her out from under Palpatine's spell. She reignited her lightsaber. Palpatine replied with a burst of lightning from his fingers, throwing Mara across the throne room. Luke reached out to slow down her fall. She still hit hard and stopped moving.

Voldemort used the opportunity to knock out Luke's lightsaber. Luke dodged Voldemort's strike and leaped away. Harry stepped back, facing two dark lords at once.

Vader struck first, putting so much power into the blow that Harry felt pain in his arms. Voldemort fired off a spell, but Harry quickly got his own wand out, forcing Voldemort to break the connection. Vader's next strike came too quickly for him to block, though, and Harry watched helplessly as the red blade went towards him...

...only to be turned away by a green one. Luke quickly rejoined the fight, and they reestablished their mind-meld.

Luke ducked and tried to strike Voldemort from below, leaving room for Harry to swing at Vader. Harry threw a stunning spell at Vader, but it seemed to have no effect. Frustrated, Harry thrusted at Voldemort and immediately had to pull back to block Vader's attack. Vader hit his blade so forcefully that Harry fell back, but Luke managed to parry the white lightsaber.

He felt Luke's presence in his mind, telling him to do something. He got it. There was no need even to nod. Blocking another round of strikes, the two young men executed simultaneous Force jumps and landed on the catwalk above the stairway.

"Your thoughts betray you, father," Luke said. "I feel the good in you. The conflict."

Harry felt no such thing from Vader. He didn't expect anything of the sort from Voldemort.

"There is no conflict," Vader declared.

"You couldn't bring yourself to kill me before, and I don't believe you'll destroy me now," Luke said.

"What do you think, Tom?" Harry shouted. "Maybe you should probe his mind and tell us."

"Tom?" Luke asked Harry.

"Tom Riddle. Voldemort's real name. He hates it."

"_Avada Kedavra!_" Voldemort shouted. Harry and Luke dodged, letting the spell fly harmlessly between them.

"You underestimate the power of the dark side," Vader announced. "If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny." With that, he threw his lightsaber at them.

XXXXX

"Ready?" Greengrass asked again.

Padma, leaning against the bunker wall, nodded. Greengrass cast the final spell.

There was a loud screech, a crack, and then the doors of the bunker flew open as if pulled apart by extreme strength.

As soon as the opening formed, a mixture of blaster bolts and spells were sent into it. Someone fired back, but missed everyone.

"Come on," Han said.

At this moment, Susan and Ginny ran up. "Sorry we didn't get her before," Ginny said, exasperated.

Neville and Luna, along with several rebel commandos, appeared from the other direction. "Ron!" Neville yelled and ran up to him.

"Sorry, no time for stories," he grinned. "Han?"

Han got up. "You," he pointed to Ron and the other wizards, "watch here in case more of them show up. Kyle and I will set the charges."

Kyle nodded, and joining Han and several rebel soldiers, vanished inside. By this point, Chewbacca climbed down from his stolen AT-ST, and was helping Leia. Ron was supporting Jan. Could they really have done it this time?

XXXXXX

The red blade cut through the supporting cables, and the catwalk collapsed. Luke tumbled down. Harry managed to jump off before slipping, and was now standing next to the throne, facing Voldemort.

"You whelp!" Voldemort snarled.

"What? If I had known your Muggle name was so effective, it would have been all over the _Daily Prophet_ years ago. Maybe your half-blood status, too."

Harry attacked. Anger at all the injustice this—he couldn't bring himself to call it a man—thing caused, at all he and his friends had to suffer because of him, flared up inside him. He jumped over Voldemort, and tried to strike him. The dark lord was too quick, but Harry kept fighting, kept attacking. Forcing Voldemort to step down the stairs, he struck from the higher ground.

Harry was so quick that Voldemort had to spend all his energy on blocking. At every blow, the dark lord stepped back. Harry could feel the white lightsaber shake under his purple one.

Voldemort was clearly exhausting himself. In addition to throwing faster and faster lightsaber strikes, Harry added spells to the mix. And then, getting closer and closer, he formed a powerful shield with his wand, and thrust his lightsaber tip at Voldemort's left hand. Straight to the core of his wand.

The wand exploded, causing Voldemort to flinch. His left hand was bleeding. Harry hit it with his invisible shield, and then, with all the strength he could muster, struck Voldemort's lightsaber. The dark lord couldn't hold on to it, and the weapon flew off to the side.

Harry breathed hard. He stood over Voldemort, wand in one hand, lightsaber in the other.

"Good... your hate has made you powerful," he heard Palpatine's voice. He wasn't sure whom the Emperor was talking to, as Luke was standing over Vader in much the same position, except he had no wand. "Now fulfill your destiny, and take your father's place at my side. Or perhaps young Potter would rather have that honor? He has proved himself worthy."

"Well, Potter?" Voldemort asked him. "Are you going to kill me?"

"The final Horcrux," Harry demanded. "What is it?"

"I didn't think you were stupid, Potter."

"I am not. I'd rather you tell me yourself, but if not... _Legilimens!_"

At first, Harry got nothing, but then, drawing on the Force, he pushed against Voldemort's mental shields. His scar burned with pain, but he forced himself to go on. And then... he was in a different place altogether.

XXX

_Harry was walking through a house, wand raised. It was dark outside. He came to a door and pushed it open. He reeled._

_Mara was standing in front of him. _No,_ he thought. _Not Mara. _This was Lily Potter, and he was seeing her through Voldemort's memory._

"_Stand aside, silly girl," Harry-Voldemort said. Harry had to force himself not to break off, knowing what was about to happen._

"_No. Not Harry. Anything but—" Lily stood in front of him, a baby in a crib behind her._

"_Stand aside," Harry—_This is Voldemort! Voldemort! _he forced himself to think_—_said. _

"_NO!"_

_Harry—_Voldemort, dammit!—_raised his wand, and pointed it at the woman. "_Avada Kedavra!" _he said._

_And when the woman fell, Harry felt himself spinning, spinning... through the stars, through light... until he ended up in a completely different room... which also contained a crib._

_A small, redheaded baby inside the crib yelled out in pain. Harry tried to approach, but couldn't... and then the vision vanished and he was back on the Death Star._


	63. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59.**

Han and Kyle ran out. "Move!" Han shouted. "Move!"

They ran. Kyle helped Padma up, and they rushed across the clearing away from the bunker. The installation exploded.

Then, half the sky seemed to be on fire for a moment when the shield generator dish vanished into flames. Ron couldn't believe it. _We did it._

XXXXXX

Voldemort had been knocked down, and was clambering back up. Harry processed what he saw. He knew what it meant, and it shocked him. Everything made sense.

"She's a Horcrux, isn't she?" Harry asked Voldemort. "Mara Jade. A clone of my mother. The Horcrux creation was catalyzed by the murder of my real mother. Monster..."

"Never! I will never turn to the dark side!" Luke declared. "You failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

"As," Harry emphasized, "am I."

"Really, Potter?" Voldemort sneered.

Harry walked over to Mara, who was barely stirring. A Horcrux. A piece of Voldemort's soul. A Horcrux that could defend itself, think for itself... _not too much_, he thought, remembering the ease with which Voldemort's Imperius curse worked on her, and his own inability to break it. And a connection to him. And then...

"You know, she's hardly innocent," Voldemort said. "An Imperial assassin, the Emperor's Hand... don't you think it would be justice?"

_She is a Horcrux. Horcruxes must be destroyed. Therefore... since when am I thinking like this? I— what?_ the shock of his thoughts brought him back.

"You have no right to talk about justice, or innocence," Harry snarled. But he _had _got the idea, and it wouldn't go away. Voldemort's words were getting to him. The end to everything... right here in his hands. He ignited his lightsaber.

"What's the matter, Potter! Can't do it?"

XXXXXX

The Rebel capital ships were among the Imperial fleet now, exchanging turbolaser fire. They would do more damage to the Star Destroyers than she ever could. Right now, her main concern was fighters. _I will not lose another pilot..._

She moved her squadron away to avoid the barrage from her own side. She and Lin chased three TIEs near the surface of another Star Destroyer. Tired of the pursuit, Lin fired torpedoes. One of the fighters avoided the bomb, which detonated on the capital ship's surface. It and the third Interceptor were taken out as Loth and Blade Four swooped in.

"Good job," Hermione called out. "Now—"

Admiral Ackbar's excited voice interrupted them. "The shield is down! Commence attack on the Death Star's main reactor!"

"We're on our way," Lando announced. "Red Group, Gold Group, all fighters follow me!"

_Thanks, guys,_ Hermione thought. "Let's go," she said. "We're not out of this yet."

"Right with you, ma'am," Linra'sin replied.

"Affirmative, Leader," Loth seconded.

The squadron sped towards the Death Star.

XXXXXX

"I thought so, Potter. How would you like a new nickname? 'The One Who Let the Dark Lord Live'," Voldemort mocked him. The Emperor looked at him intently.

Harry knew he had to make a decision. He raised his lightsaber, preparing to strike. "To answer your question, Tom," he said. "Yes, I am still a Jedi." With that, he threw the lightsaber at the Emperor.

The weapon was flung aside with ease. "So be it... Jedi!" Palpatine said. He aimed one hand at Luke, the other at Harry, and streams of lightning hit both of them. Harry yelped and let go of his wand. His skin burned with pain. He now realized that the Emperor held most of his power back when Harry was his prisoner.

"Kill him, Lord Voldemort," he heard Palpatine's voice. "I have no more use for him. As for my traitorous Hand, we will reeducate her."

He stopped the lightning. He could barely feel the relief when the pain returned again. "_Crucio_," Voldemort said.

Harry tried to summon the Force, but he was too weak. He tried to search for something, anything to anchor him. _Ginny, I love you,_ he thought. It only helped slightly.

"You have lived nineteen years longer than you should have, Potter. But it is over now." The Cruciatus Curse had lifted, but he was too weak to jump away, summon the lightsaber, or do anything at all. Voldemort stood over him, pointing a wand—_Harry's wand—_at him. "_Avada—_"

XXXXXX

The shield was gone. The Imperials were either killed or surrendered. The combined army of rebels, wizards, and Ewoks was certainly unusual, but it proved itself effective. _Come on, Hermione,_ he thought, looking up at the sky, where the Death Star still hung.

"Padma!" a panicked voice shouted from the forest. "Ron!" another voice joined it.

Seamus and Parvati ran into the clearing. They looked afraid. "What is it?" Ron asked.

He didn't need to wait for their answer. Roganda Ismaren ran into the clearing. _Oh, no. How did we forget about her?_

"_Stupefy!_" Ron fired a stunning spell. Roganda, though, managed to avoid getting hit, rolling on the ground. She threw her hand out, and the lightsaber Kyle took from her flew off Kyle's belt before he could do anything. She made another force-leap, avoiding stuns from Ginny, Susan, Neville, and Luna as well as Ron this time.

Kyle and Han opened fire with their blasters, but Roganda ignited the lightsaber and sent the bolts back their way. Neville and Luna had to throw up shields.

Ron wasn't sure he had the strength for another duel with Roganda. But there were still relatively fresh members of Dumbledore's Army... Neville, Luna, Daphne, Hannah Abbot, Terry Boot, Zacharias Smith... Ron stepped forward, motioning to them. Ginny and Susan were the first to join him. Neville and Luna followed, and soon, the entire wizarding contingent was facing Roganda. Even wounded Padma tried to make a move, although she stumbled almost immediately and had to be caught by Kyle.

"Surrender, Mrs. Snape," Ron said. The whole group raised their wands.

Roganda laughed. "You don't have a chance, you know," she pointed at the Death Star in the sky.

She leaped again, right before dozens of spells were fired at the spot where she previously stood. Ron glanced, trying to determine where she would land.

She didn't land at all. Instead, a broomstick flew by, right into her. She caught it in mid-air, and sped away.

"Damn!" he cursed. "Hannah, Ginny, Terry, you're the Quidditch players here." He grabbed a broomstick, as did the others. "Let's go."

Within moments, the four of them were in the air, chasing Roganda.

They weren't having much success. Ron could see that Roganda was riding a very good broom. He was on a Nimbus 2000, still excellent but outdated by now.

Then three more broomstick riders rose from the forest to intercept Roganda. Ron soon recognized their flying styles.

"Fred! George! Charlie!" he called out.

"Ron!"

"Where were you!"

"Well," Fred said, "we were about to watch how the Imperials fell into a couple of _ very_ clever traps."

"And then that woman just showed up and ruined all our fun," George finished.

"No sense of humor, that one."

"We chased her, but she somehow just vanished on us," Charlie supplied.

"So imagine our delight when we saw her try to escape—and by stealing one of our broomsticks."

"So we left our little forest friends to handle the Imps—what's left of them, anyway."

"Which isn't much, after the traps."

"So here we are."

"Scatter!" Terry yelled. They had to. Roganda turned around, and flew towards them, lightsaber lit.

When they scattered in all directions, Ron realized with fear that she chose _him_ as the target. He headed towards the top of a large tree.

Roganda swung, but Ron was ready for it, quickly maneuvering below her. Roganda chopped off the treetop.

"_Incendio!_" Hannah Abbot, dropping from below, cried. Roganda's broomstick caught fire.

Roganda leaped off, and landed behind Hannah. She shoved the girl off, sending her into a two-hundred foot plummet.


	64. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60.**

Voldemort suddenly twisted around, igniting his lightsaber, just as Mara Jade was practically flying towards him. With a snap-hiss, her own blue blade flared up. Voldemort struck before she landed.

Harry watched in shock as Voldemort and Mara collapsed to the floor, their lightsaber blades buried in each other.

"You_—_" Voldemort spoke his last word.

"Mara!" Harry yelled. Mara Jade was still clutching her lightsaber, despite an enormous hole in her chest where Voldemort plunged his. She fell into Harry's arms.

"Oh, no..."

Harry picked Mara up and walked downstairs. Luke was down there. Vader was leaning against the railing, one of his hands cut off. There was no sign of the Emperor.

"Luke!"

"Harry!"

"What happened?"

"Vader's gone," Luke said. Harry stared at him, then looked at Vader.

"This is Anakin Skywalker," Luke said. "My father." "You turned him back?"

Luke nodded. "He killed Palpatine. What happened to you?" "Mara killed Voldemort... but he struck her." Harry laid Mara down.

"We better get out of here," Luke said.

Harry nodded. Luke picked up his father, and Harry carried Mara out into the elevator.

XXXXXXX

Hermione felt the danger before she saw it. Her instruments only showed three TIE interceptors approaching them, but as soon as she looked at them, she felt cold. They had the red markings, just like the fighters that destroyed a quarter of their squadron within seconds.

"Watch out!" she warned the squadron. Then, she turned her X-wing towards the Imperials. She wouldn't give them a chance to get close and wreak havoc. She fired a pair of torpedoes.

The fighters immediately broke formation. Hermione cursed, watching the missiles miss. She opened fire with her lasers.

Fortunately, her pilots were ready, and were making evasive maneuvers. And there were seven of them to three Imperials. _It's nice to have numbers on our side for once_.

"Four, get on my tail. Eight, come about right," she ordered. "Twe—" But Linra'sin knew what to do. As soon as the fighter chasing Eight turned to follow it, she dropped behind it.

The Interceptor was faster, and got out of Lin's field of fire before she could destroy it. But the Imperial had not counted on Hermione being only a quick turn away. With a few laser bolts from her fighter, he was space dust.

Alarms rang out as Hermione was hit from behind by another fighter. She boosted her shields to maximum, which helped—but only a little.

Her rear shields suddenly _did_ collapse when the Interceptor exploded. She saw Loth fly by her, and she realized he must have used a torpedo. "Thanks," she managed.

Turning about, she saw the remaining Imperial chasing another of her X-wings, Blade Two. None of them would get there in time, and the TIE was catching up.

She fired two torpedoes, which locked onto the Imperial. He noticed and tried to avoid them... too late. Both missiles struck.

"Two, you all right?"

"Nothing major," the reply came.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She now had to think. Taking the entire squadron into the Death Star was a bad idea... some fighters should remain outside, in case another attempt is needed.

"Eleven and Twelve," she said. "Follow me. Four, you're in command." "Roger, Leader."

"Concentrate all fire on that Super Star Destroyer," Ackbar commanded.

"That's your job, Four," Hermione said. "Good luck." And with that, she, Loth, and Linra'sin plunged their fighters into the bowels of the battlestation.

XXXXXXX

In the vast corridors of the Death Star, panic reigned. Imperial soldiers ran in all directions, fires erupted all over the place. Loud explosions thundered throughout the station. Harry, already exhausted from the battle, could hardly breathe by the time they reached a small hangar, which, fortunately, had an operational shuttle.

Luke, equally exhausted, lay his father's body down. "Luke," Vader said. "Help me take this mask off."

"But you will die," Luke protested.

"Nothing can stop that now," Vader replied. "Just for once... let me look on you with my own eyes."

Luke began to take off Vader's helmet. Harry turned to Mara. "Are you all right?" But he didn't need to ask the question to see that she wasn't. Luke paused in his work, and took Mara's hand. Mara looked at him and smiled.

"Mara," Harry said. "You can't die—"

"Now," Anakin Skywalker—a very pale, hairless man beneath the black mask—said, "go, my son. Leave me."

Harry looked at Luke for a moment, before turning back to Mara. "I am already gone, Harry," she said. "I—"

"No!" Harry protested, and was suddenly joined by Luke. "No!" he repeated. "Just because you were a Horcrux—"

"_Am_ a Horcrux, Harry. Can you—"

Harry knew that once an object became a Horcrux, it remained so until it was destroyed as to be unrecognizable. A living Horcrux had to be killed. But Mara...

"You already have, Luke," Anakin said. "You were right about me. Tell your sister... you were right."

_Sister?_ _OK, I'll ask him later,_ Harry thought.

Anakin suddenly extended a black-gloved hand towards Harry. Instinctively, he knew what it was the man who was Darth Vader wanted. He gave him a firm handshake.

The hand went limp as Harry shook it. Anakin Skywalker was dead.

They turned to Mara. Her breathing was becoming erratic. "Mara!" Luke said. "No!" "Goodbye, Harry," she whispered. "Thank you. Goodbye... Luke." Her bright green eyes, just like Harry's, slowly closed. Then her breathing ceased.

Harry and Luke both cried as they looked at the body. Mara Jade, Emperor's Hand, clone of Lily Evans Potter, Imperial traitor, the final Horcrux, and Voldemort's last victim. The body flickered, and vanished into thin air, leaving behind a gray jumpsuit, a utility belt, and a lightsaber.


	65. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61.**

Terry twisted his broom and rushed down to catch Hannah. "Get her!" he yelled.

Ron didn't have time to confirm whether Terry _did_ catch her, but he thought there wasn't much of a chance that he didn't. Still, Roganda managed to reduce the odds from seven to one to five to one.

_Never tell me the odds_, Han once said. And the odds then were much, much bigger. Ron leaned in to resume the chase.

"What's the best broom among you?" he asked Charlie.

"A Firebolt. That's—oh."

"I was afraid of that," he said.

Roganda suddenly dropped below the treetops. Ron, tightening his grip on the handle, followed.

"Ron, what're you doing?" Ginny shouted. "No way—" Ron ignored her. Flying an obstacle course through the trees, making sure he didn't lose Roganda, took all his concentration. None of the others followed him.

He saw the flash of a lightsaber, and flew over the falling tree. "_Stupefy!_" he threw a spell forward, but missed.

He saw something else quickly move through the forest. A small clearing was a head, and right as Roganda flew across it, Fred and George rushed in from either side. They didn't surprise her, however. Both of their spells missed as Roganda performed another Force-enhanced leap. This time, she knocked Fred off his broom. "Ouch!" he yelled as he hit the ground.

"George, he'll be all right!" Ron shouted. Fred was moving, and chasing Roganda alone wasn't an appealing prospect. _And where are Ginny and Charlie?_

Roganda, now on Fred's broom, flew up again. Ron and George followed.

As they flew up, they watched Ginny and Charlie zooming in from above. "Help Fred, he's here!" George yelled.

Then Roganda ignited her lightsaber again. The next moment, Charlie tumbled off his broomstick. Roganda's blade sliced off his tail. He hit a tree branch, breaking it with his body, before plunging down. Ginny rushed to catch him.

XXXXXXX

The inside of the the Death Star was composed of narrow tunnels, dangerous to navigate even without enemy fighters chasing you. Here and there, explosions flared, signaling that bombardment from the outside was doing damage. Energy readings on her instruments were off the scale.

"Watch your backs," she suggested to her wingmates. "Put all power to your rear shields."

An Imperial fighter behind them collided with a wall and vanished. The rest kept pursuit and fire, forcing them to jink constantly. She remembered the first time she flew into combat, at Yavin. _You know, it would be a good idea to have rear guns on these things..._

The corridor they were flying through opened into a wider tunnel. At that moment, an X-wing and a familiar saucer-shaped craft flew by, also pursued by Imperial fighters. Hermione fired, destroying one Interceptor. Lin took out another.

Hermione had to smile. "Wedge!" she called out. "You _do_ need me watching your back!" "Never denied it," the other pilot replied. "You all right?" She nodded, before realizing Wedge couldn't see her. "Good, but completely out of torps. Lin, Erad, do you have any left?" "I've one," Loth said.

"I'm out too."

"Go with them, Erad. We'll break off, and try to draw some of these fighters away. Good luck, everyone." The energy readings were enormous, indicating the proximity of the main reactor. At a junction, she and Lin broke off into a sideways tunnel, while Wedge, Loth, and Lando plowed on ahead.

Four Imperial fighters were following them. Hermione adjusted her rear shields and weaved through the deadly maze. She and Lin were flying side by side, the wings of their fighters almost touching.

Explosions got more violent, and one of their pursuers vanished as a tongue of flame erupted from the wall at an unfortunate moment.

CueSeven gave a beep of excitement. Hermione glanced at the readout, and noticed a large surge of energy.

"Do you think—" Lin began.

"Maybe. I sure hope so." _And I hope you make it out of there, as well..._

They flew onward. Hermione glanced back for a moment, and gasped. A wall of fire was rapidly erasing the distance between them.

"Lin, we've got to hurry!" she yelled frantically. But at that moment, one of their pursuers hit the Twi'lek's fighter with a well placed bolt.

"I've lost shields!" she shouted.

"I'll cover you!" Hermione said, dropping her fighter behind Lin. She hoped her own shield would hold.

"My engines are—" Linra'sin never finished. Hermione jerked her craft up to avoid colliding with her powerless wingmate. The X-wing crashed into the pursuing Imperials and destroyed two of them.

_Crack_. Hermione's own fighter nearly lost control as her wing snapped from the collision with the ceiling. Alarms rang all over, coming from the frantic droid. By the time Hermione recovered, her shields were already gone from the last TIEs laser bolts.


	66. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62.**

"I'll kill her!" Ron shouted as he and George cleared the canopy to chase Roganda in the open sky again.

The odds were down to two to one. _At this rate, my prospects aren't good. At least no one _died_ yet_.

"Ron, you should know something," George said.

"What?"

"There's an anti-theft spell on our broomsticks. Mine and Fred's." "What?"

"Normally, it's triggered twenty-four hours after the broomstick is stolen, but we can also activate it manually."

"What does it do?"

"Unfortunately, the manual trigger works only on both broomsticks at once," George said. He flew up and transferred over to Ron's broom.

"George, what are—"

"It turns a broomstick," George said, taking out his wand, "into a fluffy pink rabbit." A small flash came from his wand, and Ron immediately felt the increased load on his broom. Meanwhile, Roganda lost her support, and, screaming, plunged down, crashing into the forest below. Even her lightsaber, which she did ignite, couldn't help her.

Ron stopped. He had to, because when the meaning of George's words came to him, he burst out laughing. "I wish we were closer, so I could see her face," he said.

XXXXXXX

The wall of flame rushed up and consumed the Imperial behind her.

Coaxing the last reserves of power out of her engines, Hermione flew her fighter through the tunnel exit, into the open space beyond, and towards the waiting Rebel fleet.

XXXXXXX

Harry and Luke sat in the cockpit of the shuttle. They took Mara's clothes and Vader's armor aboard with them. Vader's body must have also vanished, since the armor was much lighter.

The hangar nearly collapsed around them, as flames sprouted from every opening. Luke piloted the shuttle away, quickly accelerating.

XXXXXXX

Behind her, the Death Star exploded.

She looked behind, just to make sure. The explosion was still there, still spreading. It was finally over. They won.

XXXXXXX

A small screen on the dashboard showed the station. Harry glanced at it. Small explosions were popping up on the surface, and then the entire metal sphere turned into a giant fireball.

XXXXXXX

"Let's go find our wayward siblings," George suggested.

Ron nodded, and then smiled. "Hey, look at that—" He pointed at the sky. An enormous ball of flame was where the Death Star hung moments before.

XXXXXXX

Luke took the shuttle down to the planet. "Harry, do you mind if we don't rejoin the rest for a while? I want to pay respects to my father, and I'm not sure anyone else will approve," he said.

"Of course. Mara as well. I certainly don't want to upset Hermione. She kidnapped her, you know."

Luke nodded. "I was going to set the armor on a funeral pyre." "I guess I could do the same with her clothing," Harry said. "But I'll keep the lightsaber." Then he looked at Luke. "Sister?" he asked.

Luke smiled. "Leia," he replied.

"Leia?" _Now that he mentions it... sure, it's possible._

"We're twins. Obi-Wan separated us when we were born, for protection, from our father and the Emperor."

Harry laughed. "So Han was jealous for nothing! I'd love to see him when he finds out!" "I think he already knows. She probably told him." Harry grunted in frustration. "Oh well."

They landed the shuttle some distance from the Ewok village they stayed in last night. Using their lightsabers, they quickly chopped down enough firewood for the pyre, and Luke laid down the armor once worn by Darth Vader. Harry added Mara's jumpsuit and belt on top, and Luke set the whole thing to the torch. Flames consumed the remains of two former Imperial servants who helped bring down the Empire.

"He died a Jedi," Luke said.

"So did she," Harry replied.

"Goodbye, father," Luke whispered. "Goodbye... Mara." "Goodbye, Mara," Harry barely held his tears back. "Goodbye, Anakin."


	67. Chapter 63

**Chapter 63.**

It was already evening by the time they got back to the rest of the group, for the celebration at the tree village. Having fewer broomsticks than people, and having Charlie with a broken arm and ankle among them slowed them down considerably. Ron didn't exactly mind. He needed to think about the decisions he had to make.

Ginny and even Charlie laughed at Fred and George's "anti-theft" spell. "Maybe we should advertise it. Once it's on the market, no one will dare to steal a broomstick with one," Fred suggested.

The moment he, Ginny, Charlie, Fred, and George landed, Jan ran up to him. "Ron!" she cried. "I was so worried—"

"I'm all right," he said. He then pointed to Charlie. "We've got to—" "I'll take care of him," Ginny said. "Parvati!" she yelled.

Parvati ran up. "Gin, what—"

"Do you have the healing potions?"

"Right here." She pulled out a small pouch. "What happened?" she asked, as they helped move Charlie inside the gathering chamber that now served as a makeshift medical facility.

"A fall, and a crash. Nothing serious. Still, I'd rather not do potionless bone-mending if I can help it."

"I wouldn't either. Now why don't your other brothers let us do our work here?" Ron, Fred, and George grinned and left. "See you in a bit, Charlie," Fred said.

Ron didn't exactly share the twins' cheerfulness. "I'm sorry, Charlie," he said.

"Hey, you did more than anyone else to get her," his brother told him.

"Out! Now!" Ginny shouted, giving them a frightening glare.

They had to wait outside. "Brother, dear," Fred told him, "why don't you let us take an excursion up to that fleet of yours?" he suggested, pointing at the sky.

Ron looked at Jan, then thought for a moment. "Oh, no. That's not happening. One, there's no telling what effect your stuff might have on non-humans; two, I don't want to have to get you out of the brig."

Fred and George looked sullen. "Our own brother," they said in unison. Jan and Ron both laughed.

Ginny and Parvati emerged. "He'll be all right. We decided to have him rest. We can afford that now."

"Thanks, Gin," Fred said.

"Parvati," Ron asked. "Did Terry and Hannah—" Parvati chuckled. "Yes, they're back. I don't think that they'd appreciate you looking for them right now." Ron shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure they're all right." Jan led him off. "Your friend Hermione contacted us. We told her you were okay," she said.

"What? I could have—"

"Relax, Ron. I already saw you approach," she said, patting the electrobinoculars she carried.

"Oh. Well, thanks. Is she coming?"

"In a while. Her squadron took quite a beating," Jan said.

"Wedge—"

"He's alive. So is Lando."

Ron smiled. "That's great." Then he turned more serious. "Any word from Harry? Or Luke? Or... Mara?"

"No. Leia says Luke wasn't on the Death Star when it exploded, and we should believe her. Luke is her twin brother, you know."

"What?"

"Oh, that's right. They got separated at birth, to protect them from the Empire." Ron nodded. Back home, people had gone to great lengths to protect their families from Voldemort. He could understand something like this.

They climbed to a higher terrace and watched the celebration below. "We really won," he said.

"We really won," Jan repeated. "Hard to believe, but we did." She smiled. "And you're a hero."

"Excuse me?" Ron asked. "If I'm a hero, so are you. So is everyone else in here." "_I_ didn't fight that... what do you call them? Death—" "Death Eaters. Followers of Voldemort. That one used to be our Potions teacher," he said. "Everyone thought he reformed after the first war... and there you go. But it's not like I fought him by myself," he said. "I didn't even actually kill him, Susan did. And she lost Dean. I certainly do not envy her. And she probably—" "Susan and I... talked. She doesn't blame you," Jan said. "And if it wasn't for you, she wouldn't even get the chance to do what she did." "But you could say the same thing about—"

"Let's say it was a team effort and leave it at that. Like this whole victory." "Didn't Harry tell us that Dumbledore and Yoda told him something along these lines in his vision?" "I remember that. I think it applied to us, not just to Harry." "How so?"

"That Death Eater—"

"Snape."

"Snape," Jan said, "and his wife—"

"I still can't believe Snape was married. What?" He looked at her. "If you had him as a teacher for seven years, you wouldn't believe it either."

"Maybe," Jan agreed. "But that's not what I'm talking about. _Even the married couple_ weren't fighting as a team—for the most part. Oh, the stormtroopers had the cooperation fostered by military discipline—that's not what I'm talking about. On our side, we had three groups, with very different cultures and ways of thinking. Our soldiers, your wizards, and the Ewoks. And we quickly established rapport and carried out combined operations. The Imperial military couldn't have done that—and neither could Snape and his wife."

"So because they didn't work together, we managed to take them on one by one." "And thus they lost," Jan said.

"I'm still worried that something happened to Harry." "Is your sister in distress?" Jan asked.

"No."

"Than he's all right."

"You sure?"

"Positive. If something happened to you, I'd feel it." "Lots of couples down there," Ron pointed out.

"Maybe we should add one more?" Jan grinned.

He laughed. "Agreed. And I promise you, if it ever comes to that, _this_ couple _will_ be fighting as a team."

XXXXXXX

Despite her exhaust, Hermione knew she couldn't sleep. Soon after the battle, she managed to contact the ground team, and learned that Ron, Ginny, Jan, Han, and Leia were still alive... and that almost the entire Dumbledore's Army showed up on the moon to fight. There was still, however, no word from either Harry or Luke...

Her squadron turned out to be quite fortunate. Erad Loth safely made it out of the Death Star along with Wedge and Lando. Considering the odds they faced, to have six pilots out of twelve survive was almost a miracle. Among the twelve squadrons of Red, Gold, Green, and Grey groups, only the Rogues fared better, with eight survivors.

And everyone said she deserved the credit for it. She'd been effectively in command for more than half of the battle, and every pilot remembered her saving their life at least once. Most even said she was a much better leader than Pash.

Hermione sighed. After the memorial service for the whole fleet, followed by a short service for Blade Squadron, over which she had to preside, she just wanted time to think. They won here, true. But what happened to Harry? Was about Voldemort? And what was she going to do now that there apparently was a way to travel between their two worlds?

A knock interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she said.

Wedge entered. "Hermione," he said.

"Wedge." She hugged him.

"Sorry I didn't come earlier. We had a service, and then, I had no idea you went here." "It's all right. I was thinking."

"I know."

"So what's going on?"

He smiled. "Luke contacted me."

"Luke? And—"

"He and Harry are all right. They're both on the planet below." "And—"

"He said that Harry will tell everyone what happened later." "Luke said that? You mean, you didn't talk to Harry?" "Harry was... away. At least, that's the word Luke used." Hermione laughed. "I think I can guess where... or at least, _with whom_." Wedge's face turned more serious for a moment. "You want to go down to the planet?" "Sure," she agreed. She had no intention to wait for her friends up here.

"Come on," Wedge put his arm around her. "And Hermione... what is it with you and your fighters' wings? You break one in every battle."

"I didn't at Suran."

"No. There, it was the whole fighter."

She chuckled. "You should be glad that it wasn't anything more substantial... like my head."

"I am. You have no idea how glad I am." He kissed her.

"Wedge!" She chided, but didn't stop him.

The shuttle ride was short... or maybe, she just thought it was short. But when they got out, Hermione took a very deep breath. She hasn't smelled a forest for ages.

In the distance, many bright fires were burning. They headed in that direction.

"What are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, people from your world showed up here, right? That means there is a way back for you and your friends. Will you go back?"

"Yes, at least for a while. I have to see my parents, assure them that I'm all right." "Will you stay there?"

"I... I don't know."

"Hermione," he said.

"Yes?"

He stopped, and turned her head around. Looking into her eyes, he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, Wedge."

"Hermione, I've been in love with you for a long time—certainly longer than you knew about it. You're the best companion I've ever had—in anything. I realize you have to return to your world now, but... I want us to have a future. Together." He took her hand, and got on his knee. "Hermione Jane Granger,"—he looked up at her, and, with his free hand, pulled a ring— "will you marry me?"


	68. Chapter 64

**Chapter 64.**

Harry didn't know how long they had spent at the funeral pyre, but evening was already settling in. Fireworks erupted in the sky above them.

"Harry?" He turned, but he hardly needed to do so to recognize that voice.

"Ginny!"

"You're back! Where were you? Everyone's so worried!" "Luke, will you be all right?" Harry asked.

"Sure, go ahead," he said.

He led Ginny away. "Yes, Ginny, I'm back."

"Did you—"

"Did I defeat Voldemort?" Harry asked, a twinkle in his eye. "Not without help... can't even take most of the credit, really... but yes, he is gone."

"Is the emperor is dead too? I've heard rumors, but—" "Yes, he's gone too. And Darth Vader. So both our worlds can celebrate now." "Oh, Harry!" she yelled, and gave him a very fierce kiss. "I knew you could do this!" "Ginny..." he whispered, but then his mouth was smothered in another kiss.

"Harry, promise me you won't leave me like that again." Harry breathed. "I may have to leave you sometimes," he said. "But no... not like this. I doubt there will ever be anything as dangerous as this... and I'm glad of that." "So am I," Ginny replied.

"I love you, Ginny Weasley."

"I love you."

XXXXXXX

"Yes, Wedge. I will," Hermione answered, tears in her eyes. "I love you." Wedge slipped the ring onto her finger. "And how about we join the festivities?" he suggested. Fireworks began exploding overhead.

Hermione nodded. "Interesting place," she commented as they headed into the tree village.

"Hermione!" she heard Ron's voice.

"Wedge!" Luke shouted.

They approached, and Ron encased Hermione in a hug. "We won!" he said.

"Hey, Hermione," Neville greeted her.

It took quite a while for everyone to greet and congratulate them. Listening around, Hermione already learned that Luke and Leia were siblings, and that Snape had showed up. Both of these facts surprised her. Ron just began telling them about the chase when she suddenly stopped.

"Ron? Did you just say Roganda Ismaren was here?" "She was."

"Damn, my trap wasn't effective."

"It was the best you could do," Wedge assured her. "Don't worry. It turned out all right." Ron nodded. "I doubt I would be able to do as much," he said. "But here's a shock: Roganda and Snape were married." "What!"

"I'm not kidding. She told me that herself. Apparently, it's been quite a while." "But that means we're not the first people from our world to come here, right?" "No, it's not."

"Speaking of that," Hermione said, "we have an announcement to make." "Go on, Hermione," Wedge said.

"Wedge and I," she said, "are getting married!" "Is that supposed to be a surprise?" Ron asked. "Congratulations!" "You too?"  
"What do you mean?" she turned to see who asked the question. It was Terry Boot.

"Well, Hannah and I... got engaged today as well." "Congratulations," a new voice interrupted them, "both of you." "Harry!" Hermione shouted as Harry and Ginny walked towards them, hand in hand.

Ron looked at them. "He didn't..."

"Not yet," Harry smiled cryptically. Ginny blushed.

"Sure, mate," Ron patted him on the back.

"That reminds me," Harry said. He reached into his pocket and took out Ron's wand.

"You got it? But you said—"

"That I'd ask Darth Vader to return it. Well, that's... sort of what happened. But it's not my place to tell the full story. You'd have to ask Luke for that."

"But You-Know-Who—"

"Voldemort, Palpatine, and Vader are gone. That's certain. Mara... is dead." He turned grim for a few seconds. Then he leaned down to and kissed Ginny.

"_Hem, hem_."

The reaction from those who knew Umbridge was instantaneous. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione reached for their wands. Harry turned and ignited his lightsaber. They all blushed, since the person standing behind them was Professor McGonagall.

"Professor, students find you scary enough as it is," Ginny said.

McGonagall gave her a stern look, but then smiled. "Mr. Potter, did you say that... Voldemort," she finally breathed out, "is dead?"

"That is correct, Professor. He is. And all of his... _items_ are gone as well," he said. When they went through the portal, only he, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and McGonagall knew about the Horcruxes. The last thing he wanted was for the nature of Horcruxes to become common knowledge.

"Professor?" he asked. "What happened back—" "There was just a Death Eater attack on Hogwarts. I got most of the Order to fight them, while sending Dumbledore's Army,"—she smiled at him at this moment— "to help you. And then, all of a sudden, the Death Eaters just broke. Like they had no spirit left anymore. We captured many of them. Their arm marks turned white." "Let me guess. This was about seven hours ago." "How—"

"When Voldemort died."

McGonagall nodded. "Hard to believe all this... the other world. The technology here..." "That reminds me, Professor. We weren't the first wizards to enter this world." "Snape and his wife," McGonagall said. "At least one of them had crossed to meet the other." "And my mother was cloned here," Harry said. "The clone died in the battle." He frowned. "Strange coincidences, Professor. Last victim of the first war—my mother. Last victim of this war—her clone." "I cannot offer a theory on that, Mr. Potter."

Harry sighed. "Neither can I. So what will we do now? I don't think we can consider our worlds separate anymore."

"Harry! You can't mean—" Hermione tried to protest.

"Hermione, you're marrying Wedge. If that's not proof..." "Snape married Roganda."

"And had to keep it a secret from everyone. Previous contacts have been few and far between. Snape, Roganda... probably Palpatine, and whoever worked on cloning my mother. All of them are dead now. Here... we just have too many witnesses. On both sides. Unless you plan to use Memory Charms on everyone here—"

"Okay, okay, I get your point." Hermione smiled. "Wedge and I will visit home, but I doubt we will make our lives there. You can't fly fighters on Earth."

Ron nodded. "Same here, I think. Our planet is too small for Jan." "And you, Mr. Potter? Which world will you live in." "Ginny..." he whispered.

"I'm with you, Harry. Whatever you choose." "You worked very hard to become a Healer, I don't want to deprive it from you. So, at least for now, I think I'm going back." McGonagall nodded. "I thought about this world since we were informed of it. And I realized there may arise _complications_ that influence both worlds. In which case, we will need people familiar with both to deal with them. People like you, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger." Ron and Hermione looked at each other, then nodded. "Jan?" Ron asked. "Are you okay with this?" "Okay? You think I'll let you go off alone to chase some dark wizard?" Ron grinned.

Wedge hugged Hermione, indicating his agreement.

"I understand, Professor," Harry said. "Luke and I also discussed this issue, and agreed that if I go back, he could always call on me if he needs a fellow Jedi."

"But since you are going back, Potter, I have an offer for you." "Professor?"

"A job." "What—oh."

"Yes, Mr. Potter. I want you to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts."


	69. Chapter 65

**Chapter 65.**

Harry was shocked. "But I haven't even graduated myself—" "We can consider extenuating circumstances." McGonagall smiled. "And you can't deny that you have the practical experiences." "Harry!" Hermione looked at him. "But that job is jinxed!" "It was jinxed by Voldemort, who did that because Dumbledore refused to give it to _him_. I think with Voldemort's death, the magic would wear off." "If you don't like it, you can certainly leave after one year," McGonagall said.

"Thereby keeping the curse intact," Harry chuckled. "Very well. But I don't think I'll be teaching them to fight with lightsabers," he said quickly.

"I wouldn't ask you to," McGonagall said. "But then, in a few years, some people from this world might attend Hogwarts."

"Maybe. And being at Hogwarts without Voldemort out for my hide will be something..." "Thank you, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said before departing. "For everything." Harry turned around, and watched the celebrations. He had his arm wrapped around Ginny's shoulders, gently squeezing them. He then let go, and approached Luke, who was standing aside from the rest, looking out into the forest. Ginny and Leia watched then from behind.

Harry saw a flash of light, and raised his eyebrows. He looked at Luke, who nodded, indicating he saw it too. The ghost of Obi-wan Kenobi appeared in front of them.

Obi-Wan's ghost was joined by Yoda, then a tall young man with curly blond hair that Harry recognized as being the young version of Anakin Skywalker, under that mask.

A new ghost appeared. Dumbledore. Another. Sirius Black. A young man with dark hair and glasses, who looked like him—his father, James Potter. A red-haired woman with bright green eyes... and another one just like her, only with brighter hair and dressed in a jumpsuit rather than robes. Lily Potter and Mara Jade.

The ghosts smiled at them, and Harry couldn't help but smile back. There was a magic here beyond any of them... the magic of people, from different worlds, who lived so long under the shadow of the dark lords and their followers, gathered to celebrate their new lives—lives free of oppression, hiding, threats to them and their loved ones—lives possible, thanks to the many thousands of people, some of whom did not live to see this, whose valiant efforts made sure that this day—the day that evil lost—would come.


End file.
